The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
by Kerian Halcyon
Summary: New Hyrule has prospered for years, but when the tracks start disappearing, people begin to believe that something sinister is going on. Will an engineer in training prove himself worthy when he's Hyrule's last defense? A novelization...
1. Prologue: The Spirits

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Prologue: The Spirits

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. The Legend of Zelda and its franchise belong to Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto. This story is meant primarly for entertainment purposes, and is in no way meant for profit. I do not own any of the characters save for those who are obviously not in the Zelda canon and are original characters of my creation. This story will remain within the general boundaries of the canon of Spirit Tracks, though it will have some original elements and will only follow the canon as much as a realistic story can allow (it's not going to be a print-off of the video game's script complete with treatment). This disclaimer goes into effect for this story and all of its chapters. Well...now that we have that out of the way, please read on!

-_Kerian_

* * *

_This is a tale from long ago…long, long ago. It is a tale of the first settlers of this beautiful, green, prosperous land…_

_In the beginning, the people of this land followed the Spirits of Good, servants of the Golden Goddesses. The Spirits were powerful, wise beings, sent to watch over mankind. The Spirits were good to the people of this land, and they were praised. All was content…all was calm…all was peaceful…_

_But for every beginning, there has to be an end…such as it was for this time of peace…_

_The evil Demon King soon rose into power, and brought waste to the land. He destroyed everything in his path. Such was his destruction that whole farms could never be resown; whole towns would be turned into ash; entire castles would be forevermore nothing but ruins. The land was strown into chaos in his wake, and he lusted for all forms of dark and blighted things…_

_The destruction of this land left the Spirits of Good with only one choice; to face the Demon King in battle. The war waged between the Spirits and the Demon King seemed to last for all eternity. Lands were destroyed, oceans were violated, entire clouds seemed to be forever choked in ash. The blood of over tens of thousands of souls was shed…_

_With every beginning, there is an end. At long last, the Spirits faced the Demon King in a final battle that shook the earth, and almost led to the total anihillation of our world. By the grace of the Goddesses, they won…but even though they defeated and subdued him, they could not destroy him. So great was his power that his body seemed tied to the very life force of the world. And so, if he is tied to the world, then the Spirits decided it was only fitting that he should be bound to it._

_Though their powers were greatly depleted, they decided that they should give one last sacrifice to save this world. With their remaining powers, they buried the spirit of the Demon King into the ground, letting his body be returned to the earth from whence it came. There, as his body became the soil and mountains from which the evil King would be trapped, the life force of the Spirits would become his shackles. The great shackles covered the entire domain from which the evil monster's spirit lay, to be dormant for untold ages into the future. A great tower was built to become the lock from the center of the shackles, and it would be forever protected by the Sages of this world._

_The Spirits, with their power defeated and their life force drained, could no longer remain in this mortal world. They returned to the Heavens, leaving behind their servants to ensure that the Demon King would never return. Though the earth was once the Demon's body, it soon became a thing of beauty and joy under the light of the sun and the order of Nayru. The people rejoiced, for now, at long last, we could rebuild again. And so, with no more demons or spirits running rampant upon the landscape, this land was entrusted to us…to mankind, to watch over, to tend to, and to live on._

_The Shackles of the Demon King remain to this day…_

"Well? Well? What do you think of that? Pretty nifty, ah?"

An old man was standing behind a group of magnificently put-together cut outs that he had created. Inside of his home, he gazed lovingly at the final picture; a couple praising the departing spirits, leaving behind a magnificent tower on the ground below. The old man chuckled to himself as he looked at the cut-out pictures.

"Well? Do I know how to tell a story or what?" he chuckled, "This is such a fine work…indeed, it is. I haven't done something this good since the day I told of my adventures before the war. I think I'll call this…mmm…'_Spirits and Demons…at War!_' This is going to probably be the highlight of my career…oh, the people at Castle Town are going to love it! I only do this show once a year, you know. This thing is a blasted masterpiece! A…a…a blasterpiece!"

He turned his head in the direction of the only individual in his audience…and was shocked.

"Wah? You fell asleep during my magnum opus?!" the old man growled.

On the floor, curled up on a rug, was a young boy of about 13 years of age. He wore the black and red uniform and the dark grey hat of an engineer in training. He had blonde hair that was rather messy no matter how much you combed it, a pair of big, blue eyes, and the loving face of a child at sleep. Of course, he was lucky that he was a light snorer, or else his sleep would have been broken a lot sooner by the old man, who was scurrying over to the young boy's side and grunting to himself.

"Oh, blast it all!" the old man growled, "Doesn't anybody respect a genius around here? Link! For Nayru's sake, wake up!"

The boy, Link, didn't budge. If anything, he snored louder.

The old man sighed. He was really getting to old for this. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, he brought his mouth down to the boy's ear, and gave a loud shout.

"ALRIGHT, YOU SCURVY SEA RAT!! GET UP AND ON YER' FEET, YOU SON OF A SEA DOG! I'LL HAVE YER GUTS FOR GARTERS AND YER HAIR FOR ME OL WIG IF I DON'T SEE YE GET UP THIS MINUTE!!!"

When the old man opened his eyes, Link wasn't there anymore. He instinctively took a step back, and with an almighty thud Link crashed to the floor from his ten foot leap, his face a picture of absolute fright. The boy shook his head to clear it and then looked angrily at the old man, who was simply laughing his head off in delight.

"Wha—wah? Niko! What'd you do that for?!"

Niko was just laughing to his heart's content at his little joke. He looked like a chu-chu the way he was bobbing up and down in laughter. Wiping a tear from his eye, he got ahold of himself, and sighed.

"You know, Link, I'll confess that I am a little disappointed," Niko said, "A lot of good people would pay half their salaries at Castle Town to be in your shoes. As my roommate, you get to see my work, my beautiful works of art, my ultimate masterpieces and lovable depictions of New Hyrule's history…for free!" he shook his head in discontent. "Doesn't that mean something to you? I'm not gettin' any younger, here. This story, along with all the others I've done over the years, may be one of the only things to prove that I existed. I mean, save for my history with the Royal Family, I have virtually nothing at all to help people remember me once I go. Can't you pay attention for one minu—LINK!"

Link had appeared to have fallen asleep while sitting down. As Niko began to approach him again, Link opened one eye and winked at the old man. "I'm only joking around, Niko," he said with a smile.

"The last time you fell asleep on me was no joke," Niko muttered, "And the time before that, and the time before that. By the mandibles of Gohma, can't you pay attention for one measly minute and listen to an old man's finest creation? Are you even listening now?"

"Well…sort of," Link said. He shook his head dizzily. How long had he been out this time?

Niko sighed in defeat and nodded his head. "Okay, okay…I can take a hint. Sorry for boring you. You know, come to think of it, most people close to me found my stories boring…even the other pirates." He sighed, "Ah…to be a pirate again, just like in the old days. Sailing around, enjoying the wind in my face…scrubbing the deck while the others joked around…"

Link thanked the Goddesses that the door knocked before Niko could start ranting on how much that it tired him being the swabby aboard his old pirate ship. Niko looked up as the door opened directly behind Link's view.

"Ah…look who it is! About time your mentor got here. Hello there, Alfonzo!"

Heavy foosteps entered the house. Link turned around and gave his teacher a sleepy gaze. Alfonzo was easily the biggest man in Aboda Village. Roughly over six feet and seven inches tall, with a four foot shoulder span and a six pack that would have probably made the Goddesses gaze hungrily, it was hard to believe that Alfonzo was a senior engineer. The young man, about 24-25 years old, had once been a part of the royal honor guard for the Royal Family as a part of a family tradition. At age 17, he felled a Moblin General and his Bokoblin mercenaries single-handedly with nothing but a broken shield and his trusty saber. Nobody really knows why he quit his job and became an engineer. Maybe it was because of all the bloodshed, or maybe because he was always considered a rogue. Nevertheless, he was a respected citizen both in Aboda Village and in Hyrule Castle Town, and he was also Link's mentor.

He gazed down at Link with his beady, black eyes, his hair and half of his forehead covered by a red family bandanna with a cucco stiched on the front. "Why are you still here, Link?" he asked, "You were supposed to report to me about five minutes ago. Come on, now…wipe the sleep from your eyes! Niko's stories aren't that boring."

"I heard that!" Niko cried out indignantly, "Just because you are the grandson of one of my best friends, it doesn't mean you can't treat me with respect! I'm an old man now, remember?!"

Alfonzo wasn't listening. He had reached down and picked up Link by the scruff of his neck with both hands. Careful not to hurt him…too much…Alfonzo began to shake him around, causing the young boy to get dizzy.

"Come on, wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

"Woaaaah! Woah, woah, woah! Alright! I'm up, I'm up!"

"Good," Alfonzo growled playfully, "because today's a very important day, remember? It's your audience with the princess, remember?"

Link felt something like a lightning bolt strike his brain. "WHAT?!" By the Spirits…how could he forget?! Today was the day that he graduated into a fully fledged engineer!

Alfonzo suddenly let Link go. Link gave a slight yelp as he fell five feet to the floor, landing with yet another thud. He rubbed his butt and groaned. Today just wasn't a good day for him.

Alfonzo sighed and rubbed his temples with a gloved hand. "Don't tell me you forgot…You won't amount to much as my apprentice if you don't pay attention. Man…the boys at Guido's are going to laugh me down to Tektite egglets for this."

The big man turned and gave Link one of his infamous, _you get the job done, or you are going to get it_, stares. "Don't you want to get your engineer certificate?" he asked, "Well, the graduation ceremony is at the castle! Princess Zelda herself is going to do the honors. You don't want to get us late, do you?!"

Link bolted upright; standing up as tall and as straight as he could. He quickly gave the big man an expert salute. "Aye, aye, sir!" he shouted.

Alfonzo just looked at Link before letting out another sigh. "Niko…you should really lay off on the pirate stories before bed. I don't care how much you need him to get to sleep."

"What?! Do you think I'm going to waste my precious talents on getting this guy to sleep?!?" Niko said hysterically, "Man…at the sound of my voice, all he ever does is doze off. All I have to do is read a stop sign and he goes off—THERE HE GOES AGAIN! You'd think an old man would get some respect around here!"

Link's face snoring earned him a cuff on the head from Alfonzo, which sent him back flying to the ground.

"Will you knock it off?" Alfonzo growled, "Come on…we're going to be late. Look, I'll be over by the train. I'll meet you at the station. Get your stuff. You had better have been packed for a couple of days' sleep, because I'm not going to want to go off and buy you new clothes at the shop again, okay?"

Link shook his head clear of the stars forming around his eyes, and nodded to his teacher.

Alfonzo gave Link a satsifactory smile. "Alright then," he said, "See you in five minutes…do _not _be late. I'll see you later, Niko. I'll be sure to say hi to my mother for you." And without another word, Alfonzo walked out the door and closed it shut behind him.

"You do that, Alfonzo. Goodbye!" Niko called out to the young man.

Link stood up and looked out at the door, rubbing the back of his head. Niko just looked at Link and sighed. Link didn't know if Niko could read his mind, but that sigh was like a mirror to his thoughts.

_Today is just one of those days_, Link said to himself.

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: Hi. For those of you who don't know me, I am Kerian Halcyon; Author, Warrior, Magi (Senior of 1/3 titles). For those of you guys who do know me, you can skip this next paragraph if you wish, seeing as it's all old news to you. I am not exactly old meat here at fanfiction, though I've been around enough to not be wet behind the ears. I am thus far the proud author of at least 3, if not 4 running fanfics, with two of them being constantly updated while the other two get updated once a month if they are lucky. Everything else that I've posted is either discontinued, complete, or to be continued on a later date.

Cue the very tense moment...So, how did I do for a prologue? This is my first attempt at a novelization of any of the Zelda games. My only two fanfics I've posted (and even the third that I have in the works) are rather original and only stick so much to the canon. This, however, will remain as canon as it can possibly get. Spirit Tracks is my favorite of the Wind Waker genera...even though I've only played Phantom Hourglass thus far and only the very beginning of Wind Waker, so I will do my best to honor it as best as I can.

Ciela: If you guys are curious, this is the reason why he hasn't updated anything else in a while. He's been busy working on the first four-to-five chapters of this story!

**Kerian**: *sigh* If it's not Darin, it's always somebody. What are you doing here, Ciela?

Ciela: Darin and I made an agreement; since he pretty much has control over the author's notes of your other stories, I'm going to have mastery over this one! It's only fair...I am named after one of the Wind Waker characters anyway.

**Kerian**: Sorry for the lack of introductions, people. May I present Ciela. She's basically a character from my ongoing story, Legacy of the Sages, and she plays a somewhat minor role-

Ciela: FOR THE MOMENT!

**Kerian**: -in the story as Darin's sister. Darin is currently a main character and is the fairy guardian of Link in Legacy of the Sages...and has been a pain in my ass ever since I began making author's notes.

Ciela: I intend to continue my brother's legacy! Peace out, homies!

**Kerian**: ...Anyway, if you are reading this now, then that means two things; A., this is the first of six releases I will be making this week that involve this story, and are likely the first six you see in a while, seeing as I'll be working on other things for the time being. B. (this is more likely) you've just randomly started reading this story and it has stopped being updated/has been updated further than the prologue and the first five chapters (not including the prologue), and you are just reading this because you feel like it'll keep you from being bored. If you are B. (and knowning most fanfic readers, it probably is going to be B...lol) I hope that you enjoy yourself. Until next time...

Ciela: We, out!

-Kerian and Ciela, Author and Stooge-ette Fairy


	2. Chapter 1: A Family Heirloom

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Chapter 1: A Family Heirloom

* * *

"Alright then," he said, "See you in five minutes…do _not _be late. I'll see you later, Niko. I'll be sure to say hi to my mother for you." And without another word, Alfonzo walked out the door and closed it shut behind him.

"You do that, Alfonzo. Goodbye!" Niko called out to the young man.

Link stood up and looked out at the door, rubbing the back of his head. Niko just looked at Link and sighed. Link didn't know if Niko could read his mind, but that sigh was like a mirror to his thoughts.

_Today is just one of those days_, Link said to himself.

Niko approached Link, his hand upon his cane and his mouth creased into a prideful smile. "Well," Niko said, "You had better not be late. You know how Alfonzo gets whenever you aren't around to listen to orders. You do remember where the train station is, right?"

Link turned around and just glared at Niko indignantly. "Sure I do!" Link said, "I'm not an amnesiac, you know!"

"Okay, okay!" Niko said in protest, "I was just checking. You know how you are when you just get up!"

Link was about to counter Niko's comment, but stopped himself and sighed. "You're right, Niko," he said, "Sorry about that. Pressure's pretty tight today, you know?"

Niko nodded and smiled knowingly. "I sure do," he said, "Being a pirate wasn't all that different than being an engineer. Constant rules, chores that would break your back if you weren't careful, the occasional swat on the butt when you did something wrong…"

Link cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Niko suddenly realized he was off subject.

"Eh…maybe being a pirate is a bit different after all…haha!"

Link kept his gaze, but then smiled happily. Niko sighed in relief, which caused Link to laugh at his elderly roommate; one of the few people he'd actually call family. The old man approached Link and placed a hand on his shoulder, gazing up at him proudly.

"Today's the big day," Niko said, "Graduating at last. I can remember when your father graduated. It made your great grandfather feel oh, so proud. It made me feel proud myself. Why, I practically helped raise both your father _and_ your grandfather. It probably made your great grandfather feel better knowing that they both were in capable hands, seeing as he was always off sailing for one reason or another."

Niko sighed and looked up at a picture hanging on the wall. It showed a young Niko standing alongside seven other people. Link recognized at least two of them; one was Alfonzo's legendary great grandfather, the great Gonzo; general of the Hylian army and the proud friend and partner to none other than Queen Tetra herself. The queen was even in that picture; back before she died and when she was the captain of a group of pirates.

There was one person in the picture that always caught Link's eye; his great grandfather. He was standing alongside Tetra, wielding an extravagant sword and shield and wearing a green suit. The clothes were said to have been the inspiration for the Hylian uniforms used by the army today. In the picture, he was shown with one arm draped around her shoulder, the two of them embracing one another like lifelong friends.

It had been rumored that the queen and warrior had a relationship with each other before they discovered New Hyrule. It even went as far as suggesting that they were planning on getting married. However, the warrior known as the Hero of the Winds felt like other things were calling him, and went off sailing to distant lands. He wasn't seen for a long time since. By then, Tetra met someone else and fell in love, and due to her duties as future queen she married. When his great grandfather returned with a wife of his own, they both went their respected ways. Link's great grandfather eventually earned the title of admiral of the royal navy; a title that he had only used during the few times of war that existed in the land. That was all before he had settled in the town of Aboda Village, where he remained until the end of his days…just before Link was born.

"Well, enough about the memories of an old man," Niko said as he gazed back up at Link, "I've bored you enough. Just so you know, I'm sure your great grandfather would have been proud to see this day. Now…get going. Scoot!"

"Yes, sir!" Link said with a mock salute. Giving Niko a quick handshake in goodbye, he opened the door and ran outside. Niko watched him go and gazed back up at the picture again, letting his shoulders relax as he leaned on his cane.

"Yes, Link," he said, "You'd be proud of your kid. To think…he's more of a spittin' image of you than your son ever was. I'm sure Tetra would have been proud of him too…let's just hope that her descendants give him the title he deserves."

The eyes of Link in the painting simply stared back at the old man. Niko sighed. Making his way over to his chair by the fire, he sat down to relax.

"May he go with the grace of the Goddesses on his shoulders," Niko whispered. Without another word, he quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Aboda Village was a quiet place. Since it was a village where only three families were known to live, there was very little commotion within the tiny town. Indeed, the only source of trade in Aboda were found in the fishing docks nearby, where boats would occasionally come and pay the famous Alfonzo to drive over to Castle Town aboard his train. Link didn't care about the lack of commotion; sure, it wasn't as exciting as Castle Town, but it was home, and that's the way he wanted it to be.

Link quickly jogged across the stone path that led up to the train station. Aboda Village was conveniently at the beginning of the tracks by the ocean, and they were a little less than 50 miles from Castle Town; a 3 hour drive when aboard a train.

As Link sped over on the road, he came to a stop when he heard someone crying. Over by a house was Kara, his little cousin, sitting by the wall and crying her eyes out as if someone had gone off and ripped her favorite doll. Link was quick to run over to see what the matter was.

"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down, Kara…" Link said, "Hey, what's wrong? What's the matter?"

Kara sniffed and wiped her eyes before she looked up at Link. "Some b-b-b-big meany put r-rocks in front of-of-of my house. I can't get in. WAAAAH!!!"

Link looked over by the front door. Sure enough, huge rocks just about as big as he was were blocking the doorway into his aunt Anju's house. Link had no idea how they could have gotten there, though it wouldn't have been difficult for someone about the size of a very mischievous nine year old to push aside.

Kara was one of his two cousins in the village. The other was Mido, who had a very nasty streak for getting into trouble. He often did stuff that would make his twin sister mad or sad, which ranged from snagging her oatmeal when she wasn't looking to putting a Rope snake in her bed while she was asleep. It was obvious that he was taking advantage of her frail muscles. Though the two of them were twins, they weren't very much alike. Some say it was the brains versus brawn syndrome when it came to those two, though Link knew for a fact that Mido was smart enough to get into more trouble than he usually bargained for.

"Hey, buck up," Link said, "Wipe those tears out of your eyes. Here…take my hankee. Don't worry; I didn't use it yet."

Kara took the hankee from Link and wiped her eyes out before blowing her nose into a corner. Rolling it up, she gave it back to him and smiled weakly. "Can you move those rocks for me, Linky?"

Linky. It was the name that Kara called him ever since she learned how to talk. It was dreadfully annoying, not to mention embarrassing, especially since he was a teenager now. However, he didn't mind. Kara and Mido both had been his only childhood friends save for his few acquaintances in Castle Town during Alfonzo's trips there. Taking Kara's hand, he picked her up and put her on her feet.

"Of course I will," Link said, "Stay put for a sec, okay?"

Kara nodded. Link quickly walked over to one of the rocks and sighed, taking full note about how heavy it was going to be.

_I've got five minutes_, Link said to himself. _I've got plenty of time, right? How bad can it be to move a couple of rocks?_

Link soon found out as he grabbed the first one and heaved. He thanked his mom for always telling him to bend his knees whenever he lifted something heavy. Heaving the thing on top of his shoulders, Link slowly picked the first rock up and tossed it aside, watching it roll down the slope and into the ocean nearby. Grabbing another, he repeated the process until all four rocks were rolling into the sea.

Link breathed a sigh of relief; glad that his ordeal was over. Before he could move, though, Kara suddenly swooped in and gave Link a really big hug, embracing him tightly around the waist and gently rubbing her head into Link's stomach.

"Thank you, Linky! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said with a smile.

"Okay, okay! You're welcome! Let me go, please. I've got to get to the station before I miss the train!"

Kara looked up at Link and widened her eyes. "Oh, that's right! I forgot, your engineering thing is today! Ooh! My Linky is going to be a grown up, now! Yay!"

Link smiled. Grown up. He wished his parents could hear those words. He was sure that they would be as proud as he was.

"I'll be sure to bring you back something nice from Castle Town, okay?" Link said to the little girl.

Kara beamed and jumped up and down in excitement, clapping her hands as she did. "YAY! My cousin's gonna get me a present! I'm the luckiest girl in all of Hyrule!" Squealing in delight, Kara gave Link another swift hug and then ducked into her house, where she immediately began to tell her mother.

Link shook his head and smiled. _Kids…_he said to himself. Turning back to the road, he headed up the road towards the train station.

As he ran, he heard someone giggling in the bushes. Link slowed down and looked around. Sure enough, a very recognizable hat was poking out of the leaves, and the bush shook to the giggling sound of a young boy of about 9 years of age. Link snuck slowly and quietly towards the bush, careful not to disturb its current occupant. Silently, and with the agility of a master, he pounced.

When he came out of the other side of the bush, he had pinned a small boy to the ground. The boy was struggling against his might, but Link kept him firmly still and on the ground. Link glared at the boy as he tried to escape.

"Why did you go off and scare your sister like that?!" Link growled, "You left her crying by your door with no way to get inside, you little brat! What have you got to say for yourself?!"

Mido shook with fright as Link kept him pinned to the ground. "I'm sorry, Link! I'm sorry. Please, don't hurt me! Please."

"Argh, I'm not going to hurt you," Link said. He picked Mido up and held him by the scruff of his neck, "However, if I catch you being mean to your sister while I'm gone, I'll toss you into the ocean, right by where the Octoroks hang out…understand?"

Mido gulped. He was very scared of Octoroks. The very idea of having to swim with them was enough to scare him out of his wits.

"No, please Link! I won't do it again. Promise, I won't."

Link nodded in satisfaction. He let Mido go and was about to walk away, but he heard the little kid sniffle. He stopped and turned back to see Mido wiping his eyes.

_I didn't hurt him, did I?_ Link asked himself. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"I…I got my action figure stuck in a tree," Mido said sadly, "He's on a high branch and I can't get him down. I tried shaking the tree, but it wouldn't come off. Can you get it for me?"

Link looked over at the tree he was pointing. It was a lone tree, just sitting and minding its own business in the sun. Link didn't see any action figure or anything, but he knew that if he left now that he would never hear the end of it when he got home.

He sighed. _I'm too much of a softie to you two kids_, he thought. He approached the tree and began to slowly shake it in an attempt to get the stupid thing down. When nothing fell, he shook harder, having to dodge aside as a couple of old fruits began to fall. Finally, he backed up, and did a somersault, ramming right into the tree's trunk.

A beehive plopped right into his lap.

Link hadn't screamed so loudly since he was 11. He ran around, trying to get the bees to leave him alone, and causing Mido to laugh his head off at Link's antics. Link tried to run over towards Mido to shake the bees off, but Mido just quickly jumped out of the way and kept laughing.

"Hahaha!!!" Mido shouted, "Hope they've got stuff to cure bee stings over at Castle Town, sucker!! HAHAHAHAAA!"

"MIDO!! WHEN I GET BACK, I'LL MAKE SURE YOUR MOM SPANKS YOU SO HARD YOU'LL NEVER SIT DOWN FOR A WEEK!!!"

"In your dreams, train boy! Hahahahaha!"

Mido quickly ran off, leaving Link to the mercy of the bees. He could feel some of them trying to land on his shirt and sting him, and thanked whatever tailor made it so that it was made of thick cloth, even though it brought no mercy from the sun. Link ran across the whole village until he reached the ocean, where he promptly jumped off of the ledge and dived.

The water was cold, causing Link to burst out for air. With the sight of the bees directly above him, he promptly dove back in again, regardless of the feeling of cold, and waited for the bees to depart. They stayed above the water's surface for almost a minute before they flew back over to their tree in defeat.

Link burst out of the water and immediately began to swim for shore. Thanks to the ledge, he couldn't get out of the water from where he jumped. Swimming as best as a 13 year old could, he swam over to the shore on the far side of the village; crawling up on the beach and shaking off the salt water from his clothes.

He was a mess. An Octorok managed to come up and splatter ink all over him, and he had tripped over a sand bar on his way to shore. He was covered from head to toe in sand, seawater, and gross ink, and looked nowhere near like an engineer like he was supposed to be.

_This definitely is one of those days_, Link thought.

"Link! Oh my…boy, what has happened?!"

Link looked up, and was swept up by none other than his Aunt Anju. He was suddenly raised into the air once again and found himself looking down at her face from above. Aunt Anju had a habit of having things get out of hand.

"Link! What happened? Answer me!"

"Uh…" Link said. Should he really tell on Mido? He sighed and hung his head in shame. _I said it before, and I'll say it again…I'm too much of a softy to those kids._

"I got chased by a bunch of bees," Link said, "I dove into the water as soon as I could…and managed to land on an Octorok."

Anju's eyes widened, and she lowered Link back down to the ground. "Oh…you poor dear," she said, "I'm sorry that I went off and got you all in a frazzle like that. Here…let's get you some clean clothes."

Link widened his eyes, but before he could even protest, Aunt Anju had him by the wrist and was taking him back to the house.

"No, wait! I've…got to…get to Alfonzo…before I'm late!"

"I'm not having you go to your teacher like some wretch that crawled out of the water," Aunt Anju said, "He can wait. Besides…your uniform will stain if it's not cleaned up before long."

Before Link could scurry away, he was in the house and had been tossed into Aunt Anju's room. A set of clothes flew into his face, and in all of the struggling he found himself on the ground again.

"Get your clothes off and toss them out here," Aunt Anju said, "and then put those clothes on when you're done. I'll be sure to wash them up while you are away."

The door closed before Link got any chance to protest. He sighed in submission and began to strip. Opening the door long enough just to toss his clothes, he shut the door again and slipped on the pair of pants and shirt that was given to him, and then put on the overalls and jacket of…

"A…engineer's uniform?"

Aunt Anju walked in with the dirty clothes strung around her arm. "Do you like it?" she asked, "It was your uncle's when he was about your age. It was passed down straight from your great aunt Aryll, the first Engineer of New Hyrule! Now, isn't that somethin'?"

"I'm wearing girl's clothes?!?" Link shouted in alarm.

Aunt Anju laughed. "No, Link. Don't worry. They were meant to be your great grandfather's before they were given to her. Great Aunt Aryll was so tomboyish that she didn't mind a bit. You're pretty lucky that you have a family heirloom like that around. Some collector might find it quite valuable if he saw that."

Link smiled…no, he beamed. He had never been this happy since when he first learned he was going to be training as an engineer…since the time he first visited Hyrule Castle Town…since before…before…

"Thanks, Aunt Anju," Link said with a smile. He swept her up in a warm hug. "I'll never forget this."

Aunt Anju returned the hug and doubled it. Aunt Anju was like a mom to Link. She always had been, ever since the day his parents…

"Alright," Aunt Anju said, "So…you'd better not keep your mentor waiting. Aren't you going to Castle Town today?"

Link's eyes widened and he almost managed to leap out of Aunt Anju's grip. "OH MY GOSH!!! I'm late!!! Alfonzo's gonna kill me!!!"

Link quickly squirmed out of Aunt Anju's grip and took off like a seagull being chased by a shark. He only stopped to open the door and wish a final goodbye before he returned to running up the road, leaving a chuckling, and rather confused, Aunt Anju in his dust.

* * *

Link would have reached the train station, if it weren't for the fact that he was late. Tired, sore, and still partially wet from his near-adventure in the ocean, Link panted for breath on the steps of the train station. As he did, he heard very large, metallic doors start to creak open over towards his left.

On the tracks, a tiny, wooden train began to move forward from outside of a newly refurbished shed. The recognizable trademark of Alfonzo; a Cucco preparing to take flight; had been painted on the sides of the train. Alfonzo slowly brought the pint-sized wooden vessel forward before bringing it to a stop directly in front of Link.

"Well, you're late," Alfonzo growled, "Didn't I only give you five minutes?! We don't want to keep the princess waiting, do we?"

Link held up his hands in protest. "Mido jumped me with a beehive," he said, "Unless the princess wanted to see a boy covered in ink and seawater, I think that the wait could have been worth it."

"Yeah?" Alfonzo said, "Well, I've yet to ever be more than a few seconds behind. Don't ruin my streak at being on time." He spotted Link's submissive look and sighed. "Look, sorry. I'm on edge too, you know. You're my first apprentice. How do you think it would look on me if you did something wrong? It's a lot of pressure on both of us, you know?"

Link nodded in agreement. He approached the wooden train. As Alfonzo hopped off, he beckoned for Link to come closer to the small train.

"If you are ready to go, we've got to leave now," he explained, "Since I expected that you were late, I managed to get Mido to bring your luggage over. The kid seemed to be really willing to help for some reason."

Link felt the hairs on the back of his neck spring up. Knowing Mido, his willingness to help couldn't have been for a good reason. Deciding to drop the subject, he instead approached the engine. The wooden engine had been built specifically for him; Alfonzo always kept his personal train engine somewhere inside of the huge shed of his at the end of the station. The wood was polished nicely, and the flying cucco on the side had something that set it apart from Alfonzo's usual symbol; a green hat, much like his great grandfather's, had been put on top of the cucco's head. With a proud smile that would have melted any heart, Link gazed up at his mentor.

"I'm ready," Link said confidently.

Alfonzo smiled. "She's all yours," he said, "I'll be in the back if you need me. Consider this your test run before you are finally graduated."

Patting Link on the back in assurance, Alfonzo moved over to the passenger car and got inside. Link felt his heart go giddy. Grabbing the beam that supported the small train's roof, he swiftly jumped, flung his body inside, and landed on both feet with his left hand at the controls. Giving Alfonzo a salute through the window of the passenger car, he turned on the steam of the engine and blew the train's whistle.

His adventure had begun…

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: How many of you remember the kids who give you some tutorial stuff in the beginning of the game? How many of you guys actually rolled up into the tree and got smacked by the beehive? How many of you didn't jump in the water? *raises hand* lol. I figured that out the hard way.

And so it begins. Hope you guys like it so far. Writing this reminds me of how I began writing Legacy of the Sages; I was quick to begin, and eager to finish. In the end, my prime of word output was in the early days of my story, though school, life, and writer's block have plugged up the river that was the vast output and turned it into a very eager stream. Or is it the other way around? I don't know anymore, and I'm not going to delve into it at the moment.

Anyway, we know a bit about Link's family heritage...though we don't know exactly how far his family covers. My Link is basically a cross between the personality that almost all the Links are; shy, quiet, and natural warriors; while combinging him with the personality of the one in Spirit Tracks, the humor of the Wind Waker saga, and the way I normally show off my Links; realistically talking and taking in the world around him. A fan of mine mentions constantly that there are several fanfics out there that he reads that display Link as someone who almost never talks, if he does talk at all. I like the stories that display Link with a personality that involves him speaking with the world around him. It takes the story a step up from the video games and gives it a more realistic approach to things.

Ciela: Quick question; what are you talking about?!

**Kerian**: A Link that's not mute just makes a better story! You satisfied?

Ciela: Oh...okay. Wait, wah?

**Kerian**: *sigh* Apples don't fall far from the tree. Alright, so this is the first chapter. Tommorow, I'll post the next one. I'll keep posting them until chapter 5, and then I'm going to stop because I'll need a break on the whole thing and I'll also be updating other stories, such as my upcoming Clan Wars project, Legacy of the Sages, and Secrets of the Lost Woods (all of them Zelda fics). Hopefully, this story will do justice to the video game, but only time will tell whether or not it is capable of doing that...

Well, that's it for now.

Ciela: Until next time...

**_Both_**: We, out!

Ciela: That was pretty good! We should do things in sync more often.

**Kerian**: Don't hold your breath.

-Kerian and Ciela: Engineer and Fairy


	3. Chapter 2: Castle Town

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Chapter 2: Castle Town

* * *

The train moved easily as if it was a stone on ice. With a big blow from his whistle for dramatic effect, Link moved the train forward along the tracks as easily as if he was scootching one of his younger cousins for bedtime. He made sure that all of the instruments were running correctly before tossing a bag full of coal into the fire; the equivalent of fuel for the whole 3 hour journey.

Alfonzo poked his head out of the window occasionally to give him some quick quiz questions, as a part of his "final exam." Link was asked to use the gearbox a couple of times; how to properly use it to go faster, slower, lock speeds, or properly use the emergency brake so as to keep passengers from getting endangered. He was instructed to blow the horn whenever they passed farms to ensure that they didn't run over any of the pigs or cows that frolicked nearby. Once, a couple of large, domesticated Bulbos; pigs the size equivalent of Link's wooden engine; decided to rest on the tracks. It was only thanks to Link's timing with his whistle and the fact that Bulbos were light sleepers that the monster-sized pigs didn't get run over.

At last, they were on the long stretch of road towards Whittleton; the first outpost in the whole realm before they would reach the open, hill-covered country that led to Hyrule Castle Town. Knowing that there were no farms for the next few miles, and that they didn't have to worry about any oncoming trains for at least a half an hour before they reach Whittleton, Link left the train running and locked it into gear. Placing an alarm in the form of an hourglass that would ring a bell once all the sand hit the bottom, Link set the dial up for about 45 minutes before opening the door of the passenger car and coming inside.

"Good job so far," Alfonzo said, "You got your hourglass set?"

Link nodded.

"Good. I don't want us accidentally running into another train while we are on the tracks," he said, "The Princess will be rather cross with me if we both came late and wounded."

Link smiled. Alfonzo had been good friends with the princess and the king back when he was a part of the royal guard. However, after the King had died, Alfonzo became distant to the point that he decided to quit the life of a swordsman and begin a more peaceful job of running a train. Alfonzo had been pretty much everywhere, though one of the things he had yet to do was run into another train. Such an accident was scarier than a derailing and deadlier than a boiler blowout. Accidents like that were not very common in the past…though nowadays…

"Alright," Alfonzo said as he gazed down at a map on the table in the passenger car, "This is a map of the Spirit Tracks. We are currently in which realm?"

"Forest," Link replied.

"Good. Now, the tracks outlined in dark colors are tracks that you can use at the moment. All other tracks at this point are off-limits, so until you get to be an associate engineer, you can only go between Aboda, Whittleton, and Castle Town, understand?"

Link nodded. Curiously, he gazed down at the map. There was so much space within the Forest Realm alone, though Link didn't understand why everywhere else was off limits. He had been to Castle Town before and seen its extravagance, and he even saw the forested region of Whittleton once during the routine visits there for lumber that Alfonzo would take him on. However, Alfonzo seemed hesitant to go anywhere else. Link was always curious why, though he never bothered to ask before.

"Alfonzo," Link said, "Why is it that the Spirit Tracks are off limits outside of that area?"

Alfonzo looked hesitant to answer. Before he could, however, they heard something that frightened the both of them out of their wits; a train whistle.

Link was quick to leave the passenger car and get back into the engine. Instinct took over as he pulled down his own train whistle and pulled back the gearbox for the emergency brake. Alfonzo was flung forward and landed hard on the floor of the passenger car. Link ignored the fact that his mentor was hurt, because anything was better than what they had just avoided.

There was a train on the tracks right in front of them. The train had stopped and was blocking the path. Behind it, several workers were busy trying to build an offshoot of the tracks. They were moving westward, towards the Lost Woods, and were busy working long and hard on each individual rail and piece of wood that made up their conglomeration of tracks. Link suddenly realized that there weren't any tracks leading into the forest, even though the map said otherwise.

"Hey, you blockheads!" one of the workers shouted, "Watch where you're going! Can't you see we've got a rail to finish?!"

Alfonzo rubbed his head and poked out of the passenger car. "What in Din's name is going on here?!"

The worker's mood suddenly changed from mad to frightened. He stood up straight and tall and gave a salute. "Alfonzo! I…I didn't know you were making a trip today. The rails weren't booked out of Aboda for at least another three days."

"I've got to take my apprentice to his graduation ceremony," Alfonzo said as he rubbed the bruise forming on his forehead, "Why do you have a train blocking the way to Castle Town?"

The worker looked at the train and then shrugged. "Standard procedure," he said, "We needed something to properly warn people on the tracks that there's people working. Ever since the Spirit Tracks started disappearing, it's been getting harder for us to build these replacement rails. We can move it now if you want."

"We're late enough as it is," Alfonzo said, "Thanks for moving it. Good luck to you."

"May the Spirits smile upon us all," the worker said. He turned over towards the other train and gestured for the engineer inside to move. The small train ahead of them let out a burst of steam before backing up into the newly created rail, giving ample room for Link and Alfonzo's train to move forward. Once the train was far enough back that it wouldn't get in the way, the worker threw a nearby switch in the ground and positioned the tracks so that they would go forward.

Link pushed the gearbox forward. With a loud hiss of steam, the wooden engine moved forward, allowing the two to continue on their journey to Castle Town.

Link and Alfonzo both sat on the two seats on the cockpit of the engine. Link was rather depressed, and it didn't take a genius to see why. Alfonzo sighed and put a hand to his temples, which was a very recognizable sign of him being under stress.

"Why didn't you tell me the Spirit Tracks were disappearing?" Link asked.

Alfonzo didn't even face Link out of regret, instead focusing on the tracks ahead and straightening his bandanna. "They've been disappearing for a while now," he explained, "They're part of why the job's been getting tougher each year. Trains have managed to derail because of small sections of track having been gone, making certain areas inaccessible to trains anymore. The guys at Castle Town have been building replacement tracks ever since, but they are not in any way being in the same quality as the Spirit Tracks. It's just…not possible to replicate."

Link felt his heart sink. Alfonzo placed an assuring hand on his apprentice's shoulder, trying to comfort him as best as he could.

"I know how much this meant to you," he explained, "We'll get by…you'll see. I'll be sure to do everything in my power to make sure you live up to your dad's legacy as a royal engineer. I promise."

Somehow, the promise didn't help Link's mood. The whole reason why he was being an engineer was because it was the wish of his father. His dad had been a royal engineer and had been a respectful man; a legend almost. Link had looked up to him in many ways, and still looked up to him, even though he…

"We're approaching the main tracks now," Alfonzo said, "Whittleton's just ahead. You'd better take the wheel. It's fair game for all other trains from here on out, so don't crash us…"

"Geez, as if I didn't have enough pressure already," Link muttered.

Alfonzo chuckled. "Keep up that attitude, and I might just give you an F," he said with a smile.

* * *

The remainder of the day went by uneventfully…save for the fact that the tracks were crammed moreso than usual. Supplies were being sent from Whittleton to the individual track sites by all sorts of trains, most of them being normal passenger cars. Since few people travelled outside of Castle Town save for visits to other realms, there were few customers willing to go places now that the Spirit Tracks were disappearing. Lumber was in high demand for the replacement rails being constructed, but since everything was disappearing it was becoming hard to get all the supplies needed, especially metal. The metal that could be re-used from old junk yards was used in conjunction with wooden planks to make replacement rails. They were very low quality, and nothing was guaranteed to work again after the first time, which meant constant repair on low-quality rails were often demanded.

Link was glad they were going to stay in Castle Town overnight. If that weren't the case, they'd be in deep trouble, since traffic stalled easily at night. Link didn't like the prospect of sleeping overnight in his wooden train, which would surely happen if they had to stop for workers on the replacement rails. Alfonzo was tense as well, mostly because of the fact that there was nothing they could really do to stop what was happening.

Link's heart managed to lift up when they saw the well-familiar landmark that meant that they were close to Castle Town; the Spirit Tower. Like a lighthouse in the ocean, or a beacon in a dark cave, the tower was a welcoming sight. Standing taller than the tallest keep in Castle Town, it was easily the biggest construction in all of New Hyrule. It was older than time itself, yet it never managed to wear down over time and kept its same, multi-colored stones in relative quality throughout its existence.

Link could not help but marvel at its sight, and almost forgot to slow down for the next turn. Using the specialized switches aboard the train, he guided the wooden engine to its primary destination; Castle Town Station. With the Spirit Tower in sight, Castle Town was never far behind it. The huge walls and parapets made the whole city seem like a rock sticking out of the open ocean; a welcome reprieve amidst all of the drone of color around them, in this case the color of green grass. The cobblestones and gigantic, cubic rocks hewn from gigantic quarries seemed to welcome the sunlight with their bright gray coloring.

However, even Link managed to notice the deeply set shadows that the castle gave, reflecting New Hyrule's dark hour. Even individual cracks gave out more blackness than usual, making the castle city appear rather gloomy and forboding. The noise from inside, however, suggested that the people within weren't going to let such a mood stop them from everyday life, and the prospect of Hyrule Castle Town's wild life brought Link's hopes up, and already a smile was creeping on his face.

Link used the switches on his engine's dashboard to turn the tracks, allowing him to enter the station. Since the switch automatically turned in the direction that the tracks were facing; either left or right; it was easy to use the switch to turn the tracks about. The tracks would magically correspond with the switch and allow the engine to go in the direction it wanted to go,without the need of stopping the vehicle and move an external switch on its own. The prospect was discovered originally by the natives living in the country before New Hyrule was founded, though they didn't use steam-powered locomotives to drive the tracks.

Link slowly parked the engine into one of the circular track areas that housed a nearby shed, which was used to house any train when not in use on the tracks. For this part, he had to finish the job manually. Alfonzo followed him out of the train and supervized as Link pulled the different switches to move the platform so that his train was backwards to the shed he wanted to go. Specifically choosing Alfonzo's reserved shed, he hopped in the train and backed it up until it was completely submerged inside of the garage. There, he shut down the whole systems, locked up the coal box and the passenger car, and then closed the shed door.

"Well done, Link," Alfonzo said proudly, pulling the switch back to allow the platform's tracks to face the outside of the 'garage' so more trains could get in, "You passed with flying colors! Now all you need is your diploma, and you are ready for the rails!"

Link smiled warmly. "Thanks, Alfonzo," Link said, "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Thank me later, Link," his mentor replied, "You aren't done until you get to the castle. Now, thank the Spirits that we managed to get here earlier than I thought. Since we are here early, I'm going into town to pick up a few things and reserve a hotel room. You head on over to the castle and I'll meet you there within ten minutes. Whatever you do, don't go into the throne room without me. I don't want to miss out."

Link nodded. "You can count on me, sir!" he said with a salute.

Alfonzo smiled. "Get a move on," he said. And with that, he was gone.

* * *

10 minutes of freedom in Castle Town was like 10 minutes of paradise for the young boy. Link had only been in Castle Town a few times; enough so that he had already known where to go on the streets, what parts of the city were available, and which ones were off limits…like, Red-Line-District-Off-Limits. Many people knew Link already, and several wished him luck and congratulations for graduating.

Link heard a lot about the widespread downfall of the Spirit Tracks. Thus far, all of the trading outposts had been cut off. There were only three places accessible to Castle Town via the Spirit Tracks now; Whittleton, Aboda Village, and the Spirit Tower. Many fanatical individuals or very religious priests were stating about how Hyrule was in a time of mortal peril, that the people should remain calm in this dark time, and that they should trust in the Spirits for guidance. Indeed, both Golden Goddess worshippers and Spirit worshippers had gathered together in town squares to discuss ways to solve the matter at hand. Link decided to ignore them for now; he wasn't exactly the most religious fellow around. Sure, he believed in the Spirits and Goddesses, but he hadn't been to a church sermon in forever, and hadn't gone very often ever since…

Link made his way north towards the castle. He passed several vendors and shops along the way, and waved hello to the people he knew as he went past. Some of the more bold shopkeepers openly came out and offered their wares to Link, who simply declined what they had to offer. It's not like what they had wasn't interesting; swords and shields, assorted tools, cucco fricase, ice cream freshly frozen using what little of the special freezing ice that shopkeepers had left in town, etc; however, Link knew that he didn't have the time to spare, so he ignored them all and just kept going.

Finally, the big archway that led to the castle was in sight. As he approached, he saw something rather odd; a red mailbox was bobbing up and down, trying to catch his attention. Everyone else ignored it, which made Link wonder whether or not he was seeing things, but he was soon mistaken as a man approached him and tapped his shoulder.

"It looks like the mailbox is bobbing for you," the man said.

"I've got mail?" Link asked, "All the way here in Castle Town?"

"The Mail system uses magic," the man explained, "once a mailman is nearby who has a letter for a specific someone, the mailbox will move up and down to get that person's attention." He cocked an eyebrow. "You never got mail from a mailbox like this before?"

"Uh…come to think of it, no." Link said. To be honest, the mailboxes in Aboda Village were all plain and ordinary. There was nothing very special about them…at least, he thought that there wasn't anything special about them.

The man smiled. "Just come over to the mailbox and touch it," he said, "It'll do the rest. Have a fun time in Castle Town, boy!"

The man left and returned to the throng that was the rush-hour crowd in the city. Link looked over at the bouncing, bobbing mailbox and shrugged. He may as well try it out. Approaching the moving wooden box, he tapped it once with a finger.

The box held still. Right away, Link heard a noise that sounded like a mini train whistle. Backing away, as if expecting a tiny train to come through, Link saw a pretty comical sight ahead of him. Off to the left, a man in a red uniform and wearing a strange, tall, red cap similar to the caps worn by older generations of engineers, was approaching the mailbox. What was comical was that he was moving around like a train; his arms moved back and forth, his legs moved in time with each arm, and he even made noises to sound like the steam coming out of a wood engine. When he made it to the mailbox, he stopped and made a 90 degree turn in Link's direction.

"Special delivery for a Mr…Link!" the mailman shouted, "Is there a Mr. Link anywhere near here?"

Link approached the man. "I'm Link," he said.

The man's eyes widened. "Wow! You're kind of…young. And in an engineer's uniform! You must be a graduate. I usually only deliver letters to people who have come of age. Congratulations!" The man gave a graceful salute. "Hey, howdy hey, mister!" he said, "Postman number 99 at your service! You can just call me Postman…everybody does…"

Link cocked an eyebrow. The man relaxed a little bit and chuckled in embarassment.

"Eh, heh, heh," he said, "I'm just an average guy. Really. I just do this postman gig to get by. You know, put food on the table. It's not an easy job, but it's a livin.'"

"I understand," Link said, "So…you have a letter for me?"

"Wah? OH! Oh, yes," the postman cleared his throat, "Ahem! I've got a letter specifically addressing you, from my…eh…boss. I'll just read it aloud."

"Read it aloud?" Link asked, "Isn't that…kind of, you know…rude?"

The Postman laughed. "Haha! Just kiddin.' We used to do things that way, back before New Hyrule and all that, but not anymore. Some folks thought that reading it aloud was rude, so now we just deliver the letters. Sure, it gives you a mess, but in exchange for privacy many people would take the mess." He began to rummage around in a pack on his waist. "Now, let me see…where is it? I know I put it in here somewhere! Aw…come on. There! Got it!"

He pulled out a very neatly made envelope from inside of the pack and handed it over to the young engineer. "Here you go, Mr. Link! This is for you. Now that I delivered it safely, my work is done. See you around!"

Without another word, the Postman turned 90 degrees right and resumed his comical routine of pretending to be a train, whistling in the air to get people to move aside. Link finally let out a very well hidden bout of laughter, and almost fell flat on his butt again. Taking the letter in his hand, he opened it up and looked inside.

The paper was made out of an old style of parchment. The ink was black and very well written, and a familiar logo of an envelope with wings was placed on the lower-right corner of the paper. Link began to read the letter silently to himself next to the mailbox.

* * *

_Dear Link,_

_Our new postal system has started running today. We read your name in the registration recently and decided to send a check-up letter to make sure you were informed of the new mailing system. Everyone who comes of age at 15 years old, or who are about to become graduated from an apprenticeship, are registered into our network either via magic, personal request, or by a guardian. If you are reading this, it means my new postman is doing the his job right._

_Postman 99 is brand spanking new to our system. Though he has the right stuff; supposedly he's descended from the same postman that delivered mail across the islands via his makeshift backpack wings that we use in our trademark logo; he seems to be a little…odd. However, he is as efficient as they come, and we have yet to have a complaint about him from our customers. Do us a favor…be nice to him, won't you? He's kind of sensitive about the way he acts, and can get depressed real easily. Laughter unless told by a joke is generally discouraged in his presence. We'll be in touch again if anything new comes up or goes wrong…hopefully the latter won't happen._

_Personal congratulations for your oncoming graduation!_

_Sincerely in writing,_

_**--The Postmaster**_

* * *

Link looked over the letter again to make sure he didn't miss anything. When he was finished, he folded up the parchment and put it in his pouch for safe keeping. Deciding that enough time had been wasted, he made his way through the great archways and up towards Hyrule Castle.

_Looks like destiny awaits_, Link said to himself.

* * *

The outside of the castle was as glamourous as the city, if not moreso. The extravegant grounds were covered in rare forms of bluegrass, specifically meant for decoration, and hedges cut up into different forms of artwork ranging from animals to symbols of Hyrule's culture and royalty dotted the lawns and lined the walls of the castle.

Link walked slowly down the marble walkway towards the castle. He had never been over here before, and as such it was only natural for him to take everything in at once. As he did, he noticed a strange sight straight ahead of him. Two guards, each dressed in the green uniform of the King's personal army, were blocking the door for a rather strange man who looked as if he had wings growing out of his arms.

"But it's imperitive that I see his majesty!" the man said, "This is something that is of dire need of Hylian assistance! The Rito colony is in trouble!"

"His majesty has been dead for five years," one of the two soldiers said, "If you wish for an audience with him, Rito, then go northeast for about a mile and dig down about 20 feet until you find his crypt."

"Then I should speak with whoever is next in line," the man said, "Where is the fabled princess? By the grace of Medli, I must see her!"

"The Princess is not apt for rule at this time," the second soldier said, "Save for several specific duties, she isn't in charge yet. Chancellor Cole is the only one fit enough to run the country, and he has asked for no visitors…man or otherwise."

"Surely there must be some way that I can talk to them?" the man asked, "The Rito Colony needs supplies, badly! I have to talk to the princess for permission to ask for permission to use the Spirit Tower as a conjunction to use the remaining tracks to reach the colony!"

"That is unacceptable," the first soldier growled, "The Spirit Tower is off-limits to all but the Royal Family of Hyrule. There is no way we are going to let some islander bird-man to enter it!"

The man roared in frustration. His outburst caused the two soldiers to shove him back and raise their spears. The man simply calmed down and shook his wings as if they were a cape or an extension of sleeves.

"Fine," the man said, "If you shall not answer to the pleas of the Rito, then I shall look for help elsewhere."

The man finally turned around. Link got a good look at his face and body features, and almost felt his mouth drop open. The man wasn't really a man at all. He had the body of one, yes, but he had wings attached to his arms. If that had not been considered odd at first, the fact that the man's lower legs were hawk-like sure did, and the beak on the man's face certainly fit the description of being strange.

The bird-man walked on the marble walkway towards the archway out of the castle. As he did, he noticed Link was staring at him. When he was within five feet of Link, he bent down and stared back, giving Link full view of the beak on his face.

"What's the matter, boy?" the man said in a deep voice, "Have you ever stared into the eyes of a Rito before?"

"N-n-n-no," Link said nervously, "You're the first Rito I've ever seen in my life."

The Rito cocked an eyebrown and snorted. "Don't make it a habit at staring at someone different," he said, "We are all the same inside, regardless of race." He sniffed the air. "You are young. What is a boy doing here in the castle?"

"I'm graduating into an engineer," Link said. He let a little pride slip into his voice, and his mouth contorted to form a small smile.

The Rito lifted his body and smiled back. "Good luck and congratulations, then," he said, "Had times have been different, I would have asked for you to visit my colony…but with the state of the tracks, I doubt you'll ever see the Ocean Realm in your lifetime…later, kid."

The Rito kept walking towards the archway, never once looking back at the castle. Link watched the bird-man go. He couldn't help but feel kind of sorry for him, even moreso since, in a sense, they were both rather helpless in the face of a much darker tragedy.

_What is wrong with the Spirit Tracks?_ Link asked himself. _What could this mean to Hyrule?_

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: Okay, I bet you guys want an explanaition as to why there is a Rito in Spirit Tracks. Personally, I was bummed out when they didn't show up in Phantom Hourglass, and even more bummed out when they didn't arrive in its sequel, so I thought...why don't I just add an original character for a little while into the story, just to shake things up? This guy is the result. He doesn't really shake things up as far as canonity is considered, but he's going to play a small part in the whole of the story. If you guys don't like it...put it this way; at least I'm not going off and making up a whole bird-like race like they did in the Ocarina of Time manga...lol.

For those of you who already stated it, I know I goofed up when I called the birds on the symbols of the trains cuccos instead of doves. Alright...my bad. In the heat of the moment, people tend to make mistakes. Sadly, I'm one of those people. Don't worry, though...I made up an excuse that can ensure that canonity stays intact, though you won't find out until Chapter 4...Muahahahaaaa!

Ciela: Geez, Kerian. Enough with the laugh, already!!

**Kerian**: *tries to ignore the green fairy hovering around his head* Okay, since I got that by, I guess that's it as far as author's notes are considered. Oh...and the Postman is guaranteed to show up in this story. It wouldn't be a Spirit Tracks fanfic without him, would it? Now, I'll let you guys wait patiently for the next chapter release, and until next time...

Ciela: We, out!

-Kerian and Ciela


	4. Chapter 3: Beware the Chancellor

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Chapter 3: Beware the Chancellor…

* * *

When the Rito was out of sight, Link turned back to face the castle. Since Alfonzo was around, it could only mean that Link was a bit early or that Alfonzo was already inside. Rather not risking Alfonzo from being mad at him for not showing up, he decided to go in anyway. He approached the guards, taking care not to seem suspicious or anything; like he was there for only business.

Unfortunately, the guards weren't interested in letting kids in.

"What are you doing here, kid?!" the first guard asked, "We're busy protecting the castle. No autographs, interviews, or special requests today. Now, scram!"

"He's here with me, Koran."

The guards looked up and both suddenly saluted. Link turned around. Right on cue, Alfonzo was by his side. Link almost sighed in relief. He didn't want to have to risk getting kicked out by a couple of guards who didn't want to believe a young boy.

"Alfonzo," the guard said in surprise. He looked and noticed his salute. "Eh…sorry about that. I keep forgetting that you aren't an officer anymore. What is your business here?"

"My apprentice is graduating. We're supposed to see the princess for the ceremony," Alfonzo explained, indicating Link with his finger.

"Your…apprentice? Oh…alright. I guess you can come in. Congrats, kid. Sorry for the scare, there."

Link smiled, though he said nothing. He knew it would be a bad idea to speak up. The two guards stepped aside and allowed the two to enter the castle. Alfonzo beckoned for Link to go first, and followed up behind as they both entered the grand, double doors.

* * *

The inside of the castle was much more extravagant than the outside. With red carpets everywhere, a private, indoor moat, and tapestries and stained-glass windows with all the colors of the rainbow, it was almost blinding to the eyes.

"They redecorated since I was last in here," Alfonzo said, "That tapestry on the far right wasn't there before."

Link would have found that remark funny if it weren't for his nervousness. He could feel his knees clicking together in fear. He could hardly believe that he had gotten this far. The time had finally come that he, of all people, was about to graduate as a fully fledged engineer, loyal to the crown.

And all at the age of 13 years old…

Whatever pressure that wanted to avoid him back during the past 3 hour trip, and the pressure that he managed to dodge during his 6 hour morning back at Aboda Village, and even the pressure that hadn't even thought about popping up for the past week since his birthday, when Alfonzo gave him the good news of being registered for the ceremony to come, had decided to all drop on his shoulders right then and there. Link felt the tenseness equal to holding two ton weights on both shoulders begin the attack, and he felt so sweaty that his clean clothes were beginning to darken up. He couldn't help but feel the nervousness climb as they stepped up closer to a flight of stairs that undoubtedly led to the throne room.

"Halt!"

The commanding voice of a tall soldier was enough to make Link jump. How he managed to keep himself from reaching the ceiling, he didn't know. He was glad that Alfonzo was around. If he had to do this on his own, not only would he probably feint dead away, but after he woke up, he'd probably invent a new language with the gibberish that would exit his mouth.

Alfonzo approached the green soldier. "We're supposed to be headed for the engineer ceremony. My apprentice is graduating, and I'm here to witness it. The Princess herself was going to do the honors, if I am not mistaken."

The soldier looked them both up and down. "Where are your passes?" he asked, "Nobody's going into the throne room without them."

Passes? Link never heard Alfonzo mention passes.

Alfonzo looked confused. "Past ceremonies never needed passes before," he said.

Link's mentor's words confirmed his fears; he wasn't alone in the confusion.

"If you do not have a pass," the guard said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to escort you both out. Sorry Alfonzo…no hard feelings."

The guard approached them both. Link felt his heart jump to his throat, drop down to his gut, jump back up and then drop again. It was bad enough that the Spirit Tracks were vanishing, ensuring that his career would be a short one, but now were the Goddesses guaranteeing his cruel fate?

"What's all the commotion, here?! What's all the hubbub?"

Link turned over to his left. From down the hall was a man whose whole body screamed the words "bureaucrat" and "politician" all over. He was short, had a larger-than-average head, light brown hair, a mustache that bended like metal instead of curved, and was wearing a green tuxedo-like suit with golden cufflings. What made him seem very strange was the fact that he had two almost identical green top hats, one just slightly bigger than the other, sitting atop his head. How they were staying there without falling off, Link didn't know…though what comical sight it may have provided was crushed by the man's sour attitude and overall demeanor that spoke up…"do things my way, or get lost!"

"Chancellor Cole!" the soldier said with a quick salute, "These two were trying to get into the throne room without a pass, sir. Wanted to see the princess."

The Chancellor looked over the two intruders of his otherwise orderly sanctum. Right away, his face showed recognition as he looked Alfonzo up and down. Link felt like a gnat in the presence of a giant, well fed and groomed castle bloodhound the way he was being sized up. He had heard stories about Chancellor Cole; how even the slightest bit below the best could get him into a screaming rage. Everything had to be perfect in the eyes of this man. It was part of why he was elected for the job as Chancellor before the king died.

"Alfonzo," the Chancellor almost sneered before regaining his composure, "It is a…pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine, Chancellor," Alfonzo said. Link could tell by his face that Alfonzo didn't mean a word of it; he never liked to hide his emotions. "There seems to be a mistake. I was not informed that it was required now to have a pass in order to enter the throne room for a ceremony."

"A minor security measure we just recently set up," the Chancellor said, "I thought I had sent a letter earlier. I guess the Postman must have been late…again. Ah…any bit of slacking at all should not be tolerated when under the line of duty. Such acts otherwise would be nothing short of unspeakable."

Alfonzo didn't comment on the Chancellor's views. The Chancellor looked over at Link again.

"Is this him, then?" he asked, "Your apprentice?"

"Yes," Alfonzo said proudly, "His father was one of the Royals in the battle of Wild Dragon's Peak. I had the honor of riding the train he engineered."

"Truly?" the Chancellor asked, "A pity that most of them died that day. However, it's an even greater pity that you went at the expense of training this boy. With the Spirit Tracks vanishing, his enlistment would be nothing short than a waste of resources."

"It is…a family tradition for him," Alfonzo replied, "He was the only boy yet to be trained when I arrived. I felt that if I was to ever leave a legacy behind, it would be before things go bad than after, when I am old and when there isn't much left I can teach."

"It's still a confounded waste," the Chancellor said, "This boy could have easily become something greater…at least with more potential than working away on a job that is guaranteed to become extinct. It's only thanks to the princess's unhealthy obsession in these ceremonies and dying traditions that I am even tolerating our current conversation!"

Link decided to speak up. He wasn't going to stand by and let this man ridicule the very reason why he kept living.

"With all-do respect, Chancellor," Link said, "I don't think it's a waste. Although I may not be able to see the tracks in their heyday, I'll still be able to help out where I can. My father was an engineer once, and it was his wish that I would follow in his footsteps. For me, that means everything, even if it'll only last for less than a year after I get the job…I'll say it again. It's not a waste."

The Chancellor approached Link, his hands behind his back and his eyes just glaring angrily, even though his face and body posture remained indifferent. He came almost close enough that they could touch noses if Link had moved forward an inch, and Link almost thought he was going to shout in his face.

"Hmm," the Chancellor said quietly, "Pride…such a thing is often common in young ones. No matter. If you wish to be an engineer and if you have the proper credit due, I am not one to stop you. You may go in now."

"Uh…sir," the soldier said quietly, "They still don't have their passes."

The Chancellor didn't resist yelling this time. He was up in the soldier's face, and almost looked like he was going to jump into the air and throttle his neck, where it not for the stature of his suit and clothes.

"IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR JOB, A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD, AND YOUR VERY REPUTATION INTACT, THEN I SUGGEST YOU STOP DROOLING AND MOVE ASIDE, OR I'LL PERSONALLY DRUM YOU OUT OF EVERY DECENT CITY IN ALL OF NEW HYRULE!!! NOW, GET!"

The soldier took the hint and went running out of the way. Alfonzo made to approach the stairs, but the Chancellor raised a hand to stop him.

"Not you, Alfonzo," the small man said, "This is not your ceremony. This is his. You may wait for him outside. The sooner we get this done, the better. I don't want any audience giving any remote chance of slowing this ceremony down!"

Without further words of goodbye, gratitude, or even acknowledgement of Alfonzo's existence, the Chancellor did an about face and went straight up the stairs to the throne room. Link nervously looked over at his teacher, who simply shrugged. He gave Link a thumb's up for good luck before gesturing to the stairs.

Link turned to the stone steps and sighed. Here it was, the final moment. He would soon be beginning the ceremony, and would become a fully fledged engineer…just like his dad.

_Alright_, Link said to himself. _It's now or never…_

* * *

Link had been bowing on one knee for what felt like a straight hour. He was starting to get sweaty in places he never knew could sweat, mostly due to his nervousness and combined with the light shining from the beautiful stain-glass window right above his view. The window was in the exact image of the great Tetra, first queen of New Hyrule, when she first came to the land as a young pirate. Though she looked as if she was staring down at Link, the way that the sun was peering out of her eyes made her seem as if she was shooting beams at his body, which did not feel good at all.

He was right in the middle of wondering whether or not he could get an indoor tan when the trumpets finally rang out. Link instinctively kept his head lowered and hoped that sweat wasn't dripping from his face and into his eyes. Footsteps began to approach him from his right, coming from a pair of high heels, and the owner of the footsteps walked towards him until she came to a stop right in front of his face.

Link couldn't take it any longer. The silence that followed was staggering, and he wondered whether or not he should do something. Going against his instincts to keep his head down, he slightly lifted his head up, and opened his eyes.

Link made a slight gasp. It wasn't a gasp of disgust, which would have been short and drawn in quickly; nor was it a gasp of shock, which would have easily been much louder. The gasp he made would have been the gasp that any 13 year old boy would make when he gazed into the eyes and features of something pretty to the eye.

…and the girl he was looking at was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his short life.

She was easily just a few inches shorter than he was, though he had no doubt that she was his age. She stood up as straight as a regal and majestic bird, and her soft, white skin was easily more attractive to the eye than any beautiful bird that existed. She wore a silk and cashmere dress, which was a magenta-like color, that had a sash and several tassels that held the crest of the royal family; the Triforce. Her dress was sleeveless, though she wore gloves that went up past her elbows and a stylish scarf that went over her shoulders. Her blonde hair was like a golden fleece upon her head, and her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires under starlight. Upon her head was a beautiful crown of gold with a gem in the center; the Circlet of the Princess.

It was almost too much for Link to handle all at once. He wanted to look down and avoid her gaze, as if he was staring at something naughty, but he found that he couldn't. They just locked eyes for a few moments, which almost felt like days going by in Link's mind. He felt his cheeks heat up, and knew right away that he was blushing.

_She's so beautiful…_Link thought.

* * *

Zelda gazed at the boy kneeling before her. She had expected someone much older; someone around the age of 20 or maybe even 16. This boy had to be no older than her own age. Such a person graduating to become an engineer must have had a whole lifetime to train, which was no small feat. Besides that, however, Zelda could not help but find the boy irresistibly cute, despite he was sweating due to the whole hour he had been waiting under the stained glass window.

When Zelda approached the boy, she was quite surprised that he hadn't budged or said anything the whole time he had to endure kneeling there. Save for breathing, the guards had confirmed that he had yet to move a muscle, and they vocally admired his discipline. Then again, this boy was supposed to have trained under Alfonzo, so that was no surprise in that direction.

When she stood still, the boy finally broke his trance and acknowledged her presence. The way he gasped when he saw her revealed that he was indeed the naïve villager that Zelda had expected. However, he did not stare at her dress, her jewels, or even her other body parts for very long, and had focused completely upon her eyes. She almost gasped herself the way his dark eyes seemed to flash with emotion, and was rather perplexed at the childish and innocent nature of the boy.

He started to blush. Zelda couldn't help herself, and giggled slightly. This made him blush some more. No doubt about it, this was quite the boy…and he was perfect for what she was planning to do.

"Raising your head without permission?!?" Chancellor Cole barked, "You ill-mannered urchin! Bow your head low in respect for her majesty, or I'll have you thrown out of Castle Town!"

The boy turned his head in Cole's direction. Right away, his mood changed. It showed fear and nervousness in his outside features, though the strange glint in his eyes never waned. Zelda came to his defense by raising her hand and stopping Cole dead in his tracks. She turned and gave the boy a warm, calming smile.

"Don't pay attention to Chancellor Cole," she said kindly, "He hasn't had his afternoon cup of tea yet, and likes his routine."

The boy returned his gaze back into Zelda's eyes and sighed in relief. He remained silent, though, retaining his unwavering discipline. Zelda liked that…it meant that he had the qualities of a warrior inside, even though he obviously was going to take up a different profession.

"I can see by your uniform that you are the new engineer," she said.

The boy nodded.

"Tell me…what's your name?" Zelda asked. When the boy suddenly became shocked and almost too nervous to speak, she giggled again. "Come on, don't be shy. What's your name?"

The boy regained his composure and took in a deep breath before speaking again. "My name is Link, son of Logan" he said.

Link? Zelda looked the boy up and down, searching for any sign of body posture that would signify if he was fibbing. Could it be true that this boy had the same name as the Hero of the Winds? How very astonishing. And he also said he was the son of Logan, a legendary hero of an engineer that fought at the Battle of Wild Dragon's Peak. Such a remarkable heritage; almost one as great as Zelda's own.

"Hmph," Cole grunted, "No doubt your village parents wanted to name you something that would raise up what little pride they had in their peasant child."

Link turned to look at the Chancellor again. Zelda instantly recognized his mood. Alfonzo often masked his emotions to hide his anger, and this boy was doing it well. However, Zelda could see the boy's flashing eyes change, showing off an undeniably powerful anger deep inside.

_Looks like Cole touched a nerve_, Zelda reminisced. _I should probably step in._

"Chancellor," Zelda said, "This is a ceremony of honor, not a trial. If you wish to make insults of this fine young man, then take it elsewhere. I will not have my chancellor making a poor example of us royals and treat others like dogs. We are all equals in spirit on this good earth."

Zelda's wisdom was known to spark awe in the soldiers, pride in her teacher, and drive Cole crazy. Like a spoiled child, Cole crossed his arms and looked the other way in a kind of grown-up pout. Zelda smiled slightly in triumph as she turned to address Link once more.

"Sir Link, Son of Logan, Apprentice of Alfonzo," Zelda began, "You have come here from the village of Aboda under a long and personal journey; a journey that defined your skill, character, and the qualities of any man or woman amongst the engineers of Hyrule. As princess of Hyrule, I hereby proclaim you—"

"AHEM!"

Chancellor Cole's cough echoed throughout the throne room. Zelda looked angrily over at the politician, who was tapping his foot on the floor and fidgeting with his fingers behind his back.

"We are wasting our time here, your highness. Your ceremony is taking too long. With the Spirit Tracks disappearing, every moment that you are away from your duties is a moment closer to Hyrule's darkest hour. Please…just finish up with this foolish ceremony!"

Zelda wanted to growl; to let loose her anger on the Chancellor so badly. Her father always found time with these "foolish" ceremonies, and would even find time now to ensure that the honors would come through in full for this boy. The fact that the Chancellor wanted to speed things up was an affront to the late king's memory.

However, Cole was right. Every moment was precious, and she needed this time to ensure that all the preparations could be made to ensure Castle Town's survival. With a very disappointed sigh, she relented, hanging her head in submission.

"Yes…Chancellor Cole," she muttered.

On cue, an old man in a green tuxedo and full-moon glasses approached Zelda from her left, carrying a tray in both hands. Zelda raised her head and smiled at the man.

"Thank you, Teacher," she said.

The old man simply smiled back. Zelda took the certificate from the tray and waited for her guardian to depart. When he did, she turned back to Link and held up the certificate for the non-existent audience to see.

"I hereby recognize our newest Royal Engineer, Link, son of Logan. Work hard, and strong, Sir Link, for we are all counting on you. From our goldenmost age to our darkest hour, may you always be by our side, in sickness and in health, and never forget that it is your upmost duty to give aid to your kingdom and your princess whenever called upon."

* * *

Zelda lowered the certificate and handed it to Link. He took it, and gazed at it in awe. He wanted to jump for joy, and he held the certificate in triumph as he let his victory soak in.

He had done it. He finally was able to live up to his father's legacy. He was now a Royal Engineer!

Link knew what to do next. He and Alfonzo had practiced it for weeks now. Taking a low bow, he said, "I thank you for this great honor, Princess. As Engineer, I now take up my oath. I shall forever be relied upon whenever you call for aid, and I expect no less honor than to be called upon first in your hour of need."

The soldiers, the royal teacher, and even Chancellor Cole, though reluctantly, applauded. The ceremony had ended. Link stood up expectantly, though he felt sad that he had to go. This was likely going to be the last time he could ever see Zelda in person.

Zelda surprised him by coming very close. Link almost backed away, but instead stood rigid. He felt his face blush slightly, and almost thought she was going to kiss him or something. Alfonzo mentioned that it was a part of the ceremony for the leading lady to kiss the newfound engineer as a final blessing, but he didn't think that the princess of all people would do such a thing.

"I call upon your oath."

Link felt something made of parchment slip into his pocket.

"_Shh_!" Zelda whispered, "Take this. Don't say anything right now. You'll attract attention."

Link looked at Cole over at the corner of his eye. He was politely, thank the Goddesses, looking away and admiring a piece of wall over on the far corner of the throne room. Link couldn't see the teacher or the other guards, but he guessed that they were doing the same.

Knowing very well that this was a moment of secrecy, Link let his hand assuredly take the parchment and slip it completely into his pocket. His hand touched Zelda's for a second or two, and he could tell right away that his suspicions of Zelda's skin being soft to the touch were correct. He blushed once again, though he held the sensation firmly behind his masked emotions.

"Read this later," Zelda whispered, "Follow its exact instructions, and beware of the Chancellor."

Link was suddenly caught off guard as Zelda kissed him lightly on the cheek. Whatever emotions that Link were hiding came out right then and there, and his face turned a very deep red. Zelda giggled again, and quickly turned to leave.

Link watched Zelda go. His eyes strayed a little too far down and he caught sight of her butt, which seemed to shake from beneath the folds of her dress. Now he really began to blush. He politely looked away and watched as the guards led her and her teacher out of the two double-doors on either side of the throne room.

Chancellor Cole was the last to leave. He paused and looked over at Link and grunted slightly.

"The ceremony is over, boy," he said, "so, I suggest you run along. Why don't you go…polish your train or something?"

Link didn't mask his anger now. He visibly frowned at the Chancellor. Now that they were in private, there was no need to hide his emotions from the man.

"Not that it matters much…" the chancellor continued. Link and Cole locked eyes for a little while, and the Chancellor suddenly smiled. Link backed up in shock as he saw the Chancellor's teeth suddenly appear sharp, triangular, serrated…almost like that of a shark's or an evil beast's. The Chancellor chuckled evilly, and his evil smile brimmed wider. "The damned bucket of bolts will be useless before long."

Link could tell that the Chancellor's words meant more than the obvious. He knew right away why Zelda didn't trust him. The evil man turned around, and without another word he passed through the double doors, shutting them tightly behind him.

Zelda's words sent a cold shiver down his spine. _Beware the Chancellor…_

Link didn't realize just how deep a mess he had gotten himself into.

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: Anybody else find it freaky that the Chancellor showed off his fangs at you during that particular moment? lol. He's a pretty great bad guy, as far as Spirit Tracks villians go. He's probably as crazy as Zant was...which, come to say, was quite a shock when I found out that Zant was insane. Anybody else expect him to be like a serious guy and then end up getting caught totally off guard when he started laughing and shouting like the Joker and spinning around like the Tasmanian Devil? Man...Shigeru Miyamoto really hit the mark with that one! What a total change of pace...lol.

I bet this is a treat, huh? Two submissions in one day! Well, don't get used to it. Since I have at least two other chapters in line and waiting for submission, I might as well post this one as well...lol. Tommorow will see the last day for submitting the Spirit Tracks chapters for a while, at least until I work on some other stuff, so you guys deserve what little of a treat I can give you for now...lol.

Link and Zelda first lock eyes. Love at first sight anyone? Mmm...maybe. I suppose it may just depend on where the story goes and how canon it remains.

Hmm...no fairies. Perhaps today is my lucky day!

Ciela: In your dreams, fairy boy!

**Kerian**: Quoting Malon, I see?

Ciela: When you are around with someone who is very similar to the girl, then you begin to pick up the lines.

**Kerian**: Alright...well, I guess that covers today. Until next time...

Ciela: We, out!

-Kerian and Ciela


	5. Chapter 4: Audience with Zelda

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Chapter 4: Audience with Zelda…

* * *

Alfonzo waited patiently upon a bench near the stairs. The guard stood nearby, passing the time away by tapping his foot and humming quietly to himself. It was at least an hour before Link finally made his way down the stairs and back at Alfonzo's side.

"So," Alfonzo said expectantly, "How'd it go?"

Link flashed the certificate in his hand. "Looks like we can be partners from now on."

"Oh, not yet, kid," Alfonzo said, "You're not at that big step in life yet. As long as you are riding my trains, you follow my rules, understand?"

"When do I ever not follow your rules?" Link asked as the two of them walked out of the Castle.

As they walked down the marble steps towards Castle Town, Alfonzo noticed Link's dodgy look. Suspicion seemed to be surrounding the boy. Alfonzo didn't say anything until they were out of the Castle grounds and well on their way to the train station; knowing full well that Link would want to keep his thoughts private for as long as possible.

"Alright, what's going on?" Alfonzo asked.

Link looked as innocent as he could. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Alfonzo said, "The only time you ever look that distant is when you are either depressed or up to something. Since today's occasion was an enjoyable one, it can only mean that you are up to something."

"Me? Up to something?" Link asked, "Nah…I'm not exactly the very mischievous guy. That's Mido. He's the one to watch out for."

Alfonzo simply nodded, watching Link from out of the corner of his eye. From what he could see, Link was fidgeting an awful lot with his right pocket.

"You didn't steal anything, did you?"

Link looked rather flabbergasted at this remark. The look on his face made Alfonzo laugh as they reached the station.

"Don't worry, Link," he said through half-contained chuckles, "I was only joking." He stopped laughing and became rather serious. "I couldn't be saner when I say this, though; you can trust me with anything. Absolutely anything. You've been like a son to me for all these years, and I'm really proud of you. However, if there's anything wrong…anything at all, you can let me know. I'll keep it a secret."

Link smiled, though it wasn't a smile that Alfonzo was looking for. "Thanks, Alfonzo," the boy said, "but…I'm fine. There's nothing wrong."

Alfonzo wasn't too sure about that.

"Tell you what," he said, "We'll talk about it when we get back. Come on…I'll drive tonight. You've earned it, buddy."

"…oda Village engineers? Any Aboda Village engineers around?"

Alfonzo looked up. A large, burly man with a beard was walking around and shouting at the top of his lungs. Alfonzo had no idea who this guy was or what he was doing, but by his build he guessed he was one of the loggers from Whittleton. From the way he was shouting, Alfonzo guessed that he was looking for them.

"We're from Aboda," he said as he approached, "How can we help you?"

The man looked over at Link and Alfonzo, and his face looked rather grave.

"You must be Alfonzo," the man said, "Bless my soul, I'm glad I came to ye, lads. I bring grave and disturbin' news from the south."

Alfonzo grasped the man's shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked in a serious manner, "Is everything alright?"

"I've come back up from the train tracks being built down yonder," the man explained, "I was the engineer at the wheel of the train. Not a wee bit more than five ho'rs from whence ye came, we saw the Spirit Tracks start tae disappear again; the Aboda track too, by gosh! I only just managed to get mah train out of there before the tracks started to disappear again, though the rate's much slower now. It won't be fer another week or summat before these tracks disappear too. I came to warn ye both, and anyone else going south that way; even mah fellow Whittleton folk."

"Are you sure?!" Alfonzo asked, "Have you seen it with your own eyes? Are you sure nobody was daydreaming or panicking?!"

"Have ye ever seen iron bars as thick as tree limbs and wood made of fine oak just suddenly vanish as if it were made of sand on the wind?! Of course I not be daydreamin.' The whole south's been cut off! We're on our own now…"

Alfonzo felt his blood chill. He looked over at Link. The boy looked just as scared as he was. However, that fright came with sadness, regret, and, strangely, guilt. Alfonzo couldn't really understand why the kid felt guilty, though Link's strange behavior did point out to something.

"Thank you for your help," Alfonzo told the fellow engineer, "Is there anything we can do to help with people here?"

"Nothin' save for actin' calm and not startin' sommat up," the man said, "I'll be on mah way to the Castle. Maybe the Princess can say a few words for us all…oh boy, the chief ain't going to like this at all."

"Good luck to you," Alfonzo said as the man left. He sighed and looked down at his apprentice. "Come on," he said, "The train's not going anywhere. We'll check up on it some other time. I got a room knowing that you'll probably want to celebrate, but it looks like we'll be here a lot longer than I thought."

Link looked downcast at the ground. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"The best thing we can do is send a letter home," he explained, "The mail doesn't run via trains, thank the Goddesses, so we should be able to let everyone know why we aren't around yet. I'll see about getting us horses sometime later when we see what we can do. In the meantime, let's just get some rest. We had a long day today."

* * *

The tavern was right below the hotel. Technically speaking, the local tavern and hotel were both the same establishment. However, people liked to treat the two as completely different facilities, seeing as the tavern was where most of the men would congregate and the hotel, which was separated from the tavern by a series of wooden floors stuffed to ensure that they were soundproof, was much more elegant like a hotel worthy of Hyrule Castle Town.

Neither the elegance of the hotel nor the loud party going of the tavern boosted Link's mood. He and Alfonzo were sitting together on a private table, trying to enjoy themselves the best that they could besides the fact that they were stranded. Though Alfonzo had sent a letter, the letter would take at least a week to get there due to the fact that many mailmen hitched rides on trains when they needed to get somewhere far off.

Since they weren't exactly in a hurry, Alfonzo took the liberty of introducing Link to his first beer. It wasn't much; just enough to fill a small mug that was a bit bigger than a teacup. However, it was enough for Link to get a feeling about what it was like to be a man; since his graduation meant he was technically old enough to take care of himself at least two years ahead of schedule, Alfonzo decided to not let things go too slowly.

Link was halfway through his second cup; it was only enough for three small mouthfuls; sipping it slowly at a rate that he was guaranteed not to get hurt and at least enjoy his drink. His beer was rather weak…at least, that's what Alfonzo told him. However, Link could already feel a steady buzzing filling up at the back of his head. He wondered if that was normal.

Alfonzo had already finished his second pint, which was in a tankard at least 20 times bigger than Link's. Still, Alfonzo was much bigger than he was. To each his own…that was a saying often said when any discussion in Aboda was pointed to the severe differences between Alfonzo's food and beverage intake.

Link sighed. He still had yet to read the letter. It had been at least an hour, and he hadn't had the heart to even look it over. However, he knew that since he had his first beer, Alfonzo was going to want to keep an eye on him. Link had heard stories of what happened when his dad got his first beer…the results weren't very pretty.

He needed to get alone. The tavern was crowded with people; mostly men, including one or two guards off duty. Many of the others, however, were refugees that didn't get out of the castle in time before the tracks started to disappear. Link could see some of them gazing over at him, and the looks he got made him shiver; not because they were looks of either pity, disgust, contempt, or…for some reason…suggestive; but because it meant that this was the last place in the world he had to be to read Zelda's letter.

He remembered Zelda's words loud and clear. _Beware the Chancellor_. Anybody in here could be working for him for all he knew, and after seeing the way the Chancellor looked at him when the ceremony had ended meant far too well that something was up. He had to figure out what Zelda wanted him for…but first, he had to lose Alfonzo.

"Hey, Alfonzo," Link said, doing his best to ignore the buzzing from his beer, "I…think I'm going to turn in early. Can I borrow the keys to the room?"

"Sure," he said, pulling out a small key from his coat pocket, "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No thanks," Link said. He let out a half fake, half very real depressed sigh. "I just need some time alone."

Alfonzo nodded, his face revealing his complete understanding. He gave Link the key. "Don't go anywhere else, got it?" he asked, "I don't want to lose you out here."

Link nodded. Getting himself up, he almost tripped over his own chair. Perhaps the alcohol had more of an effect on him than he thought. Stabilizing himself, he made his way across the tavern and towards the staircase upstairs, feeling the gazes of several people as he went up.

Link didn't notice one in particular had red eyes and was covered in a cloak.

* * *

_No Drunks Allowed Beyond This Point!_

Link could see easily why most people preferred the hotel over the tavern. The person in charge of the hotel had been so cautious of keeping out riff-raff and providing a safe haven for outsiders and aristocrats that the whole hallway had a complete alcohol embargo; that is, if you get caught with so much as a punch glass that's been slightly spiked, you get thrown out of the building…literally. Any alcoholic beverages were to be consumed in low quantities in private, inside of the guest rooms. And common tavern folk were not allowed within an inch of the staircase above.

Link was glad he was a guest already. Making his way over to the far room on the left-hand side of the hall, he pulled out his key and opened the door. Inside, the room was adorned with wallpaper that was covered in doves; the Hyrule symbol for engineers. Although engineers could have their own private symbol if they chose, such as Alfonzo's cucco, most engineers that start out have the symbol painted on their trains by default. It would have been Link's as well if it weren't for him being Alfonzo's apprentice, which meant that his symbol would be an offshoot of his teacher's until the day came he could officially take care of himself and make his own.

Two beds with silk sheets and feather mattresses sat side by side, with dressers parallel to the beds. Link lit up an oil lamp and closed the door of the room, making sure to lock it tight. Placing the lamp on the dresser, he lay down on his self-declared bed and grabbed the letter from his pocket. He sighed in relief to find that the parchment had not been touched since they left the castle; no pickpocketers decided to walk off with it. Quickly letting his finger pull off the sealed clay of the Royal Seal, he opened up the envelope and took out the parchment inside.

* * *

_To whom this may concern,_

_I would have written your name had I have made your acquaintance before this letter was written. However, that does not mean that I am giving you any sign of disrespect. Indeed, if you are reading this letter, then it means that I am willing to trust you with the fate of all of Hyrule, directly upon your shoulders._

_I have a great favor that I must ask you in person. It would be too dangerous for me to tell you now in case if this gets in the wrong hands. Since I know that it will be difficult to get an audience with me without being detected, here's a way to get inside. On the back of this piece of parchment is a hand drawn map of a secret passage that leads to the roof of the castle. If you follow the spot that the arrow indicates, it shall lead you directly to my private chambers. Come alone, come quietly, and, most importantly of all, come at night during the changing of the guard. I have a friend outside who can provide you access provided that you stay out of sight and keep quiet._

_This is the most important part; do not be seen. If you are seen, your life, as well as my own, may very well be forfeit, for not only is it a criminal punishment to enter the castle without permission, but if Chancellor Cole knew that I was sending someone here in secret, we both are likely to be doomed to a terrible fate. _

_Please hurry as soon as it gets dark. I will be waiting. I am counting on you…_

_Sincerely, and with hope,_

_-Zelda_

* * *

Link could only just stare at the letter and felt himself become bathed in a deep, cold sweat. An audience with the princess…a secret audience? The memory of Zelda's kiss was still fresh on his mind, and he gently touched the tingling spot on his cheek. Instinctively, he turned the paper over. Sure enough, an accurate, recently drawn map of the castle from above ground had been placed on the paper. From what he could identify, there was a way to get upstairs and onto the castle's first roof using a staircase from inside. It would lead up into a secret passage, which, in turn, led across an open path on the wall all the way towards a hidden balcony…which was right next to Zelda's room.

Piece of cake…if Link was a highly trained assassin who could blend in the shadows and be completely invisible to the guards. He sighed. He had only come here to get graduated into a fully fledged engineer, and now he was stranded for Goddesses knows how long, was in a place in mortal peril…and he was being asked to help do something about it.

For some reason, despite his anxiety, fear, and overall nervousness, Link decided to do it. There was no other choice available; he wasn't going to make any other choice available. He was suddenly gripped by a fiery courage, a fierce determination, and an unwavering pride. The princess was counting on him. He was not going to let her get disappointed.

The only problem right now was…getting rid of Alfonzo.

Link suddenly remembered the group of ladies that Alfonzo had asked him to avoid at all costs; the three women sitting in a far corner with barely any clothes on and with looks that could stun any male of any intelligent race. Knowing Alfonzo, Link's absence would have meant heavier drinking, which meant that he wasn't going to be in a right state of mind.

Link suddenly began hatching a very nasty idea…

* * *

Alfonzo gulped down his fifth pint of beer and chuckled to himself. He was depressed. It was a great day, and he was depressed. Why? He couldn't really point it out anymore; the buzzing had grown to powerful. What he did know though was that there was only one thing that he could do to keep happy…order another round.

Link watched Alfonzo through the shadows, and waited for just the opportune moment. When Alfonzo began to make his way slowly, and very sluggishly towards the bar once again, Link decided that the opportunity had arisen. As quiet as he could, he made his way for the table where the three women were busy giggling to themselves and messing around with their purses.

"Uh…excuse me, ladies," Link said quietly.

One of the girls, with long blonde hair, turned and smiled very temptingly towards Link. "Lookie here, girls," she said, "A little boy's come to play with us. Aren't you a little young to play naughty, junior?"

"The name's Link," the young engineer said, "and I'm not here for small talk. Quick, while my teacher's not looking, listen up! I've got a proposition for you!"

The three women knew when to keep quiet out of personal experience, and did as they were told. Link quickly got them into a huddle and peered in close enough that his whispers wouldn't carry, and he did his best not to stare down at the cleavage revealed from beneath the women's' shirts.

"Alright," Link said, "Here's the deal…my teacher's depressed. He and I are outsiders, and we live in Aboda Village. It's currently inaccessible due to the Spirit Tracks disappearing. Since I just graduated, he's feeling rather sad and needs…cheering up! At least…for tonight."

"We get the message, kid," a brunette said, "So…you sure you don't want to try it out yourself?"

Link shook his head. He did not know what the lady meant, but he knew he probably didn't want to know anyway. "Just keep him entertained for the night," Link said, "He's got enough money for you guys, so payment isn't an issue. He's the one over at the table with his sixth round of beer."

"What…you mean Alfonzo?" a black-haired girl asked, "Ooh…we know him, darling. He's a cutie, that one. We might just give you both a discount."

"We'll keep him happy, kiddo," the blonde said, "Now, scoot…you don't want to be seen with riff-raff like us, do you?"

Link didn't bother answering. Saying his thanks, he tipped the girls and then quickly slunk off to his hiding spot, drinking a glass of honeyed fizz as he did. It didn't take five minutes for the girls to take Alfonzo and his key, which Link had conveniently placed inside of Alfonzo's pocket while he wasn't looking, and took him upstairs. Nobody paid any mind to them save to laugh, and Alfonzo had the most confused grin that a man could ever make. Link almost wanted to laugh at the comical sight himself, but this was no time for humor. Making sure that the letter was still in his pocket, he got up and made his way outside of the cavern and into the dark night sky.

Hyrule Castle was much different at night than it was in the daytime. Everything was all quiet. Not even a cricket made any noise, and it seemed that the darkness increased tenfold between every crack and alleyway in the town. Link stuck to Main Street and hoped for the best. Making his way north, he acknowledged seedy passersby with a nod of his head; keeping a low profile until he finally reached the archway leading up to the castle.

Link walked up to the archway and slunk into the shadows. Right on cue, a bell began to toll signaling the 9:00 hour; the changing of the guard. Link waited patiently in the shadows until a green figure came out of the darkness and slowly approached where Link was crouching down.

"Are you Link?" the figure said quietly when he saw Link's silhouette in the darkness.

"Yes," Link said, "Who are you?"

"The Princess told me to come get you." From what Link could make out in the moonlight, the figure was a quiet boy barely as old as he was; carrying a spear in both hands. His uniform stated the obvious; he was a castle guard, perhaps even a trainee or a recent graduate like Link. Link could not help but mentally ask himself what the need truly was for kids to be working like this.

"Come on," the soldier said hastily, "I can only hold the door open for so long! The princess had better have good reason for this."

"I hope you're right," Link replied.

The two of them swiftly ducked across the marble steps and through the double doors that led into the castle. It was extremely dark in the daylight, though lanterns hanging from ropes on the ceiling provided the light needed to see at least a few feet in front of you. Link instinctively stayed away from these lanterns, knowing full well that he could get spotted by somebody in the light.

* * *

The red eyes watched him from where the figure perched, high up on the arch. The figure was simply watching, and observing. He wouldn't mean the boy any harm, though he knew that the boy would likely not be on speaking terms with him. Few humans ever were.

As soon as Link entered the double doors, the figure opened his wings and flew off to a better hiding spot. There he would await 'til morning, when the boy, and hopefully the princess, would meet him face to face.

* * *

Link's guide led him across a few hallways towards the western part of the castle. The tapestries that adorned the castle when Link first arrived seemed to ripple slowly in the shadowy darkness, almost like living creatures that constantly attempted to move ever-closer towards Link's unsuspecting body.

"There," the kid soldier said, "This is the staircase that leads up. The guard will be changing soon, so do what you have to do and then get out of here! Though I've been sworn to secrecy not to say what was going on, I can only hold out so long in an interrogation."

Link nodded his head in gratitude. "Thanks," he said.

The soldier simply walked off as if he hadn't seen or heard anything. Without taking any notice himself, Link climbed up the stairs as quick as his feet would allow. Each stone step could have easily amplified Link's footsteps as he made his way up the echoing staircase, but thanks to his quick thinking he had already taken his shoes off and was walking up in his socks. The silent padding reduced grip, but it meant that he was as silent as any ambush predator could be.

Finally, Link reached the top, and poked his head out of the door that was slightly ajar. As he had feared, there was a guard outside and coming in his direction. Thinking quickly, Link did his best to slip out of the hallway and slunk through the shadows, not once daring to make a sound. He barely managed to make it past the guard just in time, and he bolted as silently as he could towards the secret entrance.

Shadows provided by the castle walls provided ample cover from against the full moon. Link slid across the simple pathway as best as he could, never once daring to look down. Passing at least two corners in both directions around the wall, he finally reached the balcony. A quick drop down, and his journey was finally over.

The door of the balcony was left ajar, but the only other door, a wooden thing which was at the end of a long hallway, was closed. Link was as quiet as possible as he made his way towards this door, and not once did he dare to look back. Quietly, and very cautiously, he reached towards the handle and opened the door.

Zelda's bedroom was covered in extravagant, red carpet. It had several velvet curtains, red furniture stuffed with the finest cotton, and looked all in the world like a paradise of red. Chairs, tables, and couches, mostly meant for company, were placed on different parts of the room and made it look more like a sitting room than a bedroom. There was even a desk in a corner of the room, built with Cyprus and redwood, and polished to the point that it seemed to gleam and could show one's reflection if they looked hard enough. A large bed, with several pillows, blankets, and even a stuffed animal of all things, was in the center of the room against the wall.

Here, playing on an old flute, sat Zelda.

Link could only just stare in awe at the beautiful girl. She had changed out of her extravagant dress into simpler clothing, though it was still elegant. Turquoise blue with darker blue outlines gave the dress a very bright feeling, as if someone was looking at a fine expanse of snow near a frozen river. Her dress had more sleeves than the last one, though it still showed her naked arms, revealing the white, smooth skin beneath. A necklace made of sapphires adorned her neck, and upon her head was the Circlet that she wore earlier. In both hands, she played on a flute that seemed as old as time itself. Though the flute's appearance seemed to hardly appeal to a princess, but it seemed to fit Zelda…as if she was meant to hold such an instrument of ancient design. She played a crisp, soothing melody that seemed to warm Link's heart. He didn't dare interrupt; the melody was so beautiful that he wanted her to keep playing it until the end of time…all the while, gazing at her lovely face.

When Zelda finally stopped playing, she opened her eyes. She gasped slightly, as if she thought she was alone, and then smiled happily.

"Link!" she said gladly, "I thought you wouldn't make it. I'm glad you got here without harm. Did any of the guards see you?"

"Uh…" Link said. He inwardly cursed himself and shook out of his trance, regaining his composure and quickly bowing to the beautiful princess. "I don't think anyone saw me, your highness," he said, "Save for your friend, nobody spotted me in the darkness."

Zelda giggled. "You don't have to use formalities around me," she said, "Just call me Zelda."

Link cocked an eyebrow. "Ooookay," he said, "So…if you don't mind me saying, what's this all about?"

Zelda stood up and walked over to a stand by her bed, where she gently placed the flute and dusted it off. Link suddenly felt a very strange desire to touch her golden hair. Quickly suppressing the thought before he blushed, he stood to attention and said nothing, waiting for Zelda to address him. She may have asked him to use her real name, but a princess was a princess, after all.

"You're the only one who can help me," Zelda explained when she was done, "I can't trust anyone else. Too many of the best are too blinded by bureaucratic behavior to be entrusted to aid me. They'd inform my teacher if I even tried, and through him the Chancellor may be informed…and I'd be guaranteed to be trapped."

She approached Link. Link felt his blood race, and almost wanted to back away as she came up and touched his shoulder. She gazed up at him with her deep, blue eyes, and Link felt a tiny bead of sweat drip down from his forehead.

"I need to ask you a favor," she explained, "This is of the most vital importance. Once I tell you this, there is no turning back. If you wish to back out now, I'd understand. Are you willing to help me accomplish a task for the good of all Hyrule?"

Link didn't really know how to answer her. His logic told him that he was hardly qualified for anything dangerous, let alone something as big as this. His anxiety told him to say no and bug out before it was too late, or maybe get Alfonzo to come around and get him to do it instead.

His courage, however, was what won out.

"Absolutely," Link said silently. He wanted to add more, but the words that came to mind may end up sounding…awkward.

Zelda smiled gently. "Thank you, Link," she said, "I knew I could depend on you."

She let go of his shoulder, and Link visibly relaxed. Zelda walked back over to her bed and sat down, beckoning for Link to do the same. Though he approached, he declined the offer of sitting on the bed with her, instead deciding to stand.

"As you know," she explained, "the Tower of Spirits has protected this kingdom for ages. It is far older than even New Hyrule, dating back as old as perhaps even the ancient and legendary Imprisoning War, back when Old Hyrule wasn't deep within the Great Sea. Do you know that story?"

Link nodded. When it came to history, Old Hyrule was one of his favorite subjects. The legend of how the ancient Hero of Time, a powerful warrior who, at a young age, defeated an evil King and rescued the land, only to disappear during Hyrule's darkest hour was a tale he memorized by heart. Legend had it that it was thanks to the simple pleas of the Hylian Race who, over time, gradually bred with Humans until the two races were indistinguishable with one another, that had saved the kingdom, though Old Hyrule was forever lost beneath the Great Sea. Link had also heard of the tale of the Hero of the Winds, who rescued the people of Outset Island and the surrounding archipelagos from the same King of Evil, sometime about a hundred years ago. Rumor had it that this Hero of the Winds was his great grandfather, though he didn't really think that this was true. It was probably just a title that he shared with the original or something like that.

"Good," Zelda said, "Anyways, the Tower connects to the Spirit Tracks that crisscross the land, and it is the exact center of all the tracks in Hyrule. Earlier today, a Rito had attempted to gain entrance to the Castle in order to speak with me about using the Tower as a means to use the tower to gain access to the other lands, though by Chancellor Cole's orders as well as tradition this idea would never work.

"I personally think, however, that there is something evil going on inside of the tower; that someone is responsible for the disappearance of the Spirit Tracks. They must be using the tower as a central gateway to cause them to vanish, and I think that Chancellor Cole is somehow involved. Ever since my father died, Chancellor Cole has done his best to gain enough power to make him almost my equal, if not moreso. He must be doing this to gain control of Castle Town, probably to gain kinship of this land. If that is true, then what he's doing can be disastrous to both Hyrule and the Tower…do you get what I'm saying?"

Link did…kind of. The Legend of the Demon King that Niko had told him about was still in his memory…at least, the parts he had heard from Niko before he dozed off. Though Link thought it was just a legend, he did know that the Spirit Tower had a magical aura that helped local magicians and the Royal Mages absorb power from the land to protect Hyrule. It also carried an air of superstition that kept pirate Miniblins, Bokoblins, and other goblins from attacking trains or invading the castle. If the tower were to go down…

"I must go down there to investigate," Zelda continued, "As princess, it is my duty as the last of the royal bloodline to ensure the protection of my people. Rumor has it that a Sage lives in the tower, who protects it and keeps watch over our people. Perhaps she is able to shed light on what is happening. Tomorrow, I plan to go…but I need a royal escort first; someone who I can trust…someone like you."

Link gasped. "M-m-m-me?" he asked in disbelief.

Zelda smiled and giggled again. "I told you I needed your help," she said, "You're the only one perfect for the job. There is a good reason why Alfonzo believed that you were more than capable enough of graduating two years early, and it wasn't just because of the tracks disappearing. I couldn't ask for a better engineer."

"How do you know I'm not in league with Cole?" Link asked, "You could be just asking for trouble by inviting me along."

Zelda humphed with mock indignity, crossing her arms and looking the other way like some little girl doing a pout. "Well, if you are really under Cole's payroll, why don't you go tell him what I'm up to? He's just down the hall from here, you know."

Link raised his hands and tried to say something in his self defense, but before he could, Zelda smiled again and put her hand on his shoulder again. Link instantly froze and let his hands fall back to his sides, completely immobilized by the touch of her fingers, which had gotten very close to his neck.

"You are the only one I can trust," she said again, "You and Alfonzo both. That's why I'm asking you to help take me there tomorrow, at dawn's first light. You'll be able to do it, won't you?"

Zelda stared at him with her blue eyes. Link was absorbed in those glimmering orbs, as if his whole world revolved around looking into her beautiful eyes. He gulped and felt his blood pump, and he blushed again, causing her to giggle.

"I'll do it," Link said.

Zelda smiled and let go of his shoulder. "Chancellor Cole forbids me from leaving the castle due to 'safety concerns.' I think he is just trying to keep me from getting to the tower, though. Our best bet is to leave during the changing of the guard, but the next one isn't until morning. If the guards see me at all during that time, our plan is forfeit, seeing as they'll double their guard post in front of my door and never leave my side."

She pulled out a map from within the folds of her dress. "Our best bet is to move through the grounds. Since it'll be easier for us to see where the guards are, dawn is the best time to leave. There's a path through the hedges that the two of us can take, which will lead straight over to the archway that leads to the rest of the town. Once we get past, we should be home free from there."

Link noticed a flaw in her escape plan. "What about me?" he asked, "How am I going to be able to get by without getting in trouble? I don't think that engineers are allowed to move around across the grounds."

Zelda smiled mischievously. "Engineers, no," she said, "But recruits, yes."

Without a word of explanation, she ducked beneath her bed. Pulling out a small, thin box that fit neatly on her lap, she opened it up and pulled out a green uniform. Link recognized it right away as the uniforms worn by the guards, though it was for an individual about his age. She promptly placed the uniform on Link's lap, and he could tell right away that it was going to be quite a good fit.

"This is your disguise," she explained, "When we head out tomorrow morning, you can distract the guards. As a recruit, they'll tolerate any question you ask, seeing as most recruits like to get the job done well. Go on…try it on!"

Link felt himself go bright red. "Now?" he asked.

"Yes, now!" she said, "It'll be better to do it now than to take forever putting it on in the morning. Come on, hurry up!"

"Uh…Zelda," Link said, "There's…kind of a problem."

It took Zelda a moment or two to figure out what Link meant. With a quick gasp, she blushed slightly and smiled in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she said, "I won't look. Just…hurry up and get dressed."

She turned around and promptly hid her face in a pillow. Her color didn't change. It was obvious she was rather embarrassed about not realizing what would happen if Link had started to get dressed with her watching. Link quickly took advantage of her distraction and began to get changed; carefully folding up his uniform bit by bit as he took it off.

When he got down to his underwear, he heard Zelda giggle. He hoped she wasn't peeking, but a quick look confirmed that she was still in the pillow. Link examined the uniform to check to see whether or not he needed to change his underwear as well, but to his dismay it came with its own bright-green undergarments. Praying to the Goddesses that Zelda wouldn't look, he swiftly took off his underwear and put on the new ones, with every second feeling like a whole hour of vulnerability and nakedness.

Finally, he put on the last piece of the ensemble; the green cap. Link recognized it as a part of the symbol placed on his train. With a sigh, the last act of defiance of the part of himself that didn't want to go through with this, he ruffled his messy hair back and put the cap on.

"Okay," Link said, "You can look now."

Zelda turned around. She gasped slightly when she caught sight of Link. The uniform fit snugly to his skin, so it was easy to reveal the tightly honed muscles on his body. Link felt somewhat proud to be inside of this uniform, as if it was something of importance that belonged to him, long ago. Link turned around in a circle to show Zelda how the suit fit. She could only just stare.

"You…you put it on perfectly," she said, "I mean…look at it! You even tucked in your shirt right and placed the scabbard belt around your shoulder. None of the recruits ever do that…how…?"

"I don't know," Link said, "It just…kind of felt right to me."

Zelda put a hand up to her lip as she went deep in thought. The way she was examining him made Link kind of feel uncomfortable, finally, she broke the silence with a shrug.

"I guess we'd better get to bed for the night," she said.

"What?" Link suddenly had a very strange mental image of sharing the same bed with Zelda. He shook it out of his mind. Where did that thought come from?

"Since we're leaving in the morning, you have to stay here with me," she said, "It will be impossible to get past the guards now, and the recruit curfew is at sundown, so you'd get into even more trouble coming out at night than in the early morning. I'm sure Alfonzo won't mind you being missing for at least until after dawn tomorrow."

Link was positive he wouldn't. The way Alfonzo was drunk and due to the fact that he left the guy with three hungry ladies meant that he was probably going to be pretty busy. The very thought about what was probably going on between the four of them was disturbing.

"Alright," Link said. He looked around. "So…where do I sleep?"

Zelda looked around the room. "Hmm…I hadn't thought about that. I guess you could sleep on my bed with me."

Link suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "Actually, anyplace would do," he said hastily, "Even the floor would do fine. I mean…I've never seen a carpet this soft before."

Zelda grabbed his arm and he held very still. She giggled. "I insist," she said, "Consider this a payment in advance for helping me. I bet you've never slept on a bed as soft as mine before."

Link felt himself sweat buckets as Zelda half-dragged him over to the bed and plopped him into the covers. Walking over to the hanging lantern in the room, she blew out the light, plunging the room into darkness. The only source of light other than the moon was the fire burning on the other side of the room.

Link was frozen to the bed. He didn't dare move, even as Zelda slipped into the covers on the other side. Face-down and scared out of his wits, he didn't even bother noticing how soft the blankets were, or how comfortable the bed was. Indeed, all he could think about was Zelda…and it terrified him.

"Comfortable?" the princess asked as she put her circlet up.

Link didn't say a word.

Zelda giggled. "Come on, relax," she said, "It's not like we're doing anything together. It's just a bed."

Link didn't move at first, but when Zelda placed a hand on his back and rubbed it slightly, he immediately calmed down. It was rather surprising how much the way she was rubbing his back felt like the way his mother used to when he was a little kid, back before she…she…

"What's going to happen to my stuff while I'm gone?" Link asked.

"As long as it's out of sight until this is over, it should be fine," Zelda said, "We'll get it back for you when we're finished."

"Good," Link said, "Because that uniform's a family heirloom of mine. It belonged to my Great Aunt Aryll, the first Engineer of Hyrule."

Link didn't really expect Zelda to feel impressed by his words, though he was still proud of the knowledge that he owned something of great importance. Still, Zelda's words were rather unexpected.

"You wear girl's clothes?" Zelda asked.

Link just rolled his eyes. As the night wore on, Zelda had turned over and went to sleep; her back facing him and her body pointing to the light of the moon out the window. Link had a sudden and deep desire to scootch over so that he could be touching her, but despite what he desired he knew it would be a bad idea. Instead, he did the smart thing and simply turned the other way; pretending that the person on the other side of the bed was his cousin, Kara, instead of a beautiful princess.

Link sighed and felt an intense longing for Zelda to rub his back again. A tear slowly fell from his eye, though he didn't bother to notice. The excitement of what was about to happen in the morning was so great that he didn't know whether or not he could even sleep. However, the Sandman proved to be very resourceful , and he finally dozed off into a deep, peaceful slumber.

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: Well, I sacrificed a little bit of canonity to make the next chapter a bit longer and to impliment this scene. Personally, I think it makes better sense for them to wait before they take off, seeing as it's around nightfall by the time Link reads the letter and since Alfonzo's a bit drunk at the moment...

Somebody mentioned that this fanfic's getting a bit mature. Not really. Since Link's 13 already, he's old enough to have had the conversation about the birds and the bees, and knows somewhat about what goes on inside of his body. At the same time, he's disciplined enough to suppress any desire to be near someone he likes, especially if they are in a rather...suggestive situation.

The next chapter will reveal why Link was so calm after Zelda rubbed his back. I won't reveal many details, only that Link's life isn't exactly as perfect as people think...at least, the Link of this story. You'll see what I'm talking about in a bit. For the moment, though, I'll let speculation circle your heads about the upcoming chapter.

Well, I guess that's it for the moment. The next chapter, if complete soon, will be posted today as well. Until then, however, me out!

-Kerian

p.s. I managed to finally get Ciela. *Sigh* peace and qui-

Ciela: GOOGLYFROOGLIES!!!!!

**Kerian**: ...*sigh*

Ciela: Roflmao


	6. Chapter 5: Fall of Zelda

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Chapter 5: Fall of Zelda

* * *

In the darkness of the room, a pair of black and green eyes gazed into the crystal ball. The Spirit Tracks were steadily disappearing, and with each passing minute more of them were gone. At long last, he felt that the time had finally come.

"Master," the figure said, "Gaze now at the demise of the land that was once your prison. It will not be long before the Spirit Tracks disappear…and soon, this world will be ours for the taking once again!"

The crystal ball suddenly changed its image, revealing a land of eternal darkness and despair. In the center of the ball, a shape began to form, revealing a dark and ever present shadow as the shape turned into a very dark and deadly demonic fire. The fire took the form of a humanoid shape, without a face or eyes; only the empty eye sockets of a skull, which seemed to suck in the light around it. It gazed over at the figure and spoke in a demonic language only he could understand.

"_Shack'erak kheëelrah no'teayh…shelkdæth noksheébah teian keath shnö'tei…_"

"Of course, master," the figure said, "She is a suitable host. With the sacred power inside of her, her body will protect you from the Spirits should they decide to intervene. There is only one obstacle in our path now…her soul. It is possibly the easiest obstacle to ever surpass."

"_Kehaläth shnockthulîda ongotelïeith…keáthna'al shelkdæth noksheébah…Hylianaaa…"_

"Of course, my lord," the figure said, "It shall be done in the morning. I must make it to her before anyone can suspect, of course. My servant, Byrne, will come by eventually to help in the kidnapping. Zelda's body will be ours, and we cannot allow any witnesses. It will not be long, my lord."

"_Ôngolt téiwaith…shöngbald nátir…Malldachanûrai!"_

"Indeed, my lord. The return of Malladus is nigh! Now, quick…before any damn magician spots our connection, we must withdraw. I shall let you know when all is prepared…"

The demonic fire nodded before swiftly returning to the shadows. The figure quickly broke the connection and changed the scenery so that he could see the Spirit Tracks again. They suddenly began to disappear faster this time. At the rate they were going, they should be completely gone by…

The figure smiled. Hyrule would fall…and soon, the princess would know the true meaning of fear.

* * *

Zelda awoke with a start. She found herself covered in sweat caused from the dream she had during the night. Looking around, she realized that it was an hour before dawn…just in time to get ready.

She sighed. The dream that she had felt so real. She had dreamt that a powerful, fiery being had come for her in the night…and when she called upon the Spirits, they wouldn't answer. The horrors she had witnessed in the dream were just too terrible to reimagine. Shaking her head and shivering, she noticed that her right hand was on top of something.

She had placed her hand on Link's back during the night. Instinct and modesty told her to pull back in recoil, but her wisdom told her that there was always a reason for these things. Doing her best to keep herself from waking the boy up, she moved across his back and looked at his face, which was pointed towards the opposite wall.

At first, she thought that the wetness on her pillow was because of him drooling. On closer look, however, she was shocked by what she found. His eyes were covered in drapes of what could only be dried tears, which had come out so much that they had made two neat puddles where Link's eyes had been on the pillow.

_He had been crying_, she thought. _I feel ashamed now; to think, I was going to knock him off of the bed for drooling. I wonder…what was he crying about._

She heard Link moan, and froze. She was in a very suggestive position right now; her body draped over him, with arms on both sides, and the two of them in bed together. Right away, she wanted to back off, but Link was on the verge of waking up. She didn't move, hoping that she wouldn't accidentally rouse him.

"M…momma?" Link said in a very tired voice.

Zelda felt her body relax. His eyes were still closed. He may still even be dreaming. However, the way he was moving made her wonder whether or not he was going to get up unless she did something.

"Momma?" he said again, "Where…where'd you go?"

Zelda looked down. She realized only now why he relaxed so easily last night. Gently moving her hand while keeping her balance, she lightly rubbed his back in a calming manner. Link visibly calmed, and let out a breath of relaxation.

"It's alright," Zelda said soothingly, "There's nothing wrong…go back to sleep."

"Mom," Link whispered, still halfway between dreaming and reality, "Why…why'd you go? Why'd you leave me?"

Zelda didn't know how to answer that one. She just kept rubbing his back, hoping he'd go to sleep. However, when he asked the question again, she decided to speak up.

"I'm here," she whispered, "That's all that matters. Go back to sleep…you have a big day in the morning."

"Big…day?" Link asked. He then relaxed again. "Oh…that's right. Momma…will you come back this time?"

Zelda bit her lip. This was getting hard. She didn't want Link to end up having a haunting experience that he'll never forget due to his current state of mind, and if she woke him up now he'd probably be too embarrassed or too upset to even speak. She decided to take the best course of action available…act like a mother.

Gently, she reached her head down and gently kissed him on the cheek. His face was warm, and it made her blush. Link smiled visibly, and he curled himself up with the pillow.

"I promise," Zelda whispered.

It took only a few more minutes before Link was finally back to sleep. Zelda sighed and backed away. She couldn't believe what she had just done. No…she mentally was thanking herself that she could make a very good impression of a loving mother. Zelda personally had only a little experience; her own mother lost health when the princess was five, and died very sick when she was eight. It was a terrible time for Zelda, but her mother had steadily prepared her for the time when it would happen, and Zelda watched her go with a happy heart. Her mother was in a better place, and Zelda would cherish her memory by continuing her duties and becoming the best queen New Hyrule would have since its founding days.

Her father fared much less, however. He had become increasingly distant from his daughter after his wife's death, and a year later found himself unfit to run the kingdom. Knowing that Zelda would never be able to succeed him in time, he instead enlisted the help of a chancellor; Chancellor Cole, an ambitious man who promised to be a good advisor to the king and would teach the princess what she needed to learn while the King did other duties.

A year later, and Zelda became an orphan. The king had died in his sleep. The event was rather suspicious; he had been in good health, at least physically, and though his depression was great he always put his duties over his kingdom first. The fact, however, that he was found with a chalice with a bit of wine on the brim suggested that he took his own life with poison. Though many suspected foul play, Zelda's personal wisdom took in and told her that now was not the time to blame anybody; she would let life run its course, and wait for the murderer to reveal himself or herself, if there was any murder at all. It would happen eventually; she was the only one in line for the throne, and if anybody did murder her father, they'd come for her next.

Three years later, and Zelda was in complete confidence that she was safe…at least, from that dilemma. Now, there was a new threat at hand, and her kingdom was counting on her to take charge.

Zelda got out of bed as quietly as she could, and immediately went into a secret doorway. There, she got out of her clothes and quickly rinsed her body of her sweat before getting into new, almost identical clothing and draping herself in her travelling cloak. The last thing she did was put on her circlet and draped her hair behind the back of her head, the way she liked it, and then she exited the room.

By now, Link was officially stirring from his sleep. Zelda wondered how long he had been up. From what she could tell, he was rather confused. Zelda decided to not comment about the situation that happened earlier, and never talk about it to him…at least, until the time was right. She just barely new the young engineer, and she didn't want her emotions, or his, to get carried away.

"Glad you're awake," she said, "Dawn's going to be in about a quarter of an hour. You'd better get yourself something to eat. Breakfast is on the table."

Zelda had requested that a simple, but rather large, breakfast be made so that the two of them could share. The breakfast had been delivered in an ingenious way to ensure her complete privacy, even from the servants, by having the tray be delivered onto a steam-powered trolley that came out through a separate room, leading into Zelda's and conveniently passing through almost every piece of relaxing furniture before it arrived to the table. Link got up and stretched before making his way over to the table and grabbing one of the small, oat farls; nibbling silently and rather slowly.

Zelda finished her breakfast long before Link did. He was only halfway through his farl before he was done. It was obvious that he was troubled. Zelda felt guilty deep down for deciding not to tell Link what had just occurred, but hid her guilt expertly through a calm smile. Eventually, dawn managed to break, and the sunlight making its way steadily through the window caught Link's eye and broke his mood.

_He seems to be a very disciplined boy_, Zelda thought. _He doesn't let emotions control him; at least not for very long. I hope he's not one of those quiet guys I occasionally read about…that would be rather scary…_

She watched Link take off his cap and start to ruffle up his hair, which had become rather messy beneath his hat. Zelda got up and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head so it covered her circlet, making her appear as a very simple and common girl.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

Link promptly plopped his hat on his head and stood up. He gave Zelda a quick smile. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he said.

Zelda smiled. _At least he's positive about things_, she thought.

* * *

_Man, why'd I ever get myself into this mess?_

Link was like Alfonzo; very good at hiding his emotions. Right now, he felt so scared that he could just pee his pants and never notice it. Here he was, trying to get a princess out of the castle. Sure, he was disguised, but still; kidnapping a princess was a criminal punishment, and if he didn't face life imprisonment he'd probably meet death at the hands of a cruel despot.

All in all…it wasn't exactly a pleasing thing to think about.

Link led Zelda through the door that led outside. The door had been cleverly disguised as a part of the wall, hidden by a tapestry covering it. It was probably meant for easy escape measures in times of siege or distress to the caste, while, all the same, able to distract most people who were there from being able to see the door…that is, if they weren't an inquisitive princess. As he led her out, he made sure that Zelda had everything she needed before he closed the door behind them.

The way out wasn't very long. It was a hallway specifically designed so that it could blend in with the rest of the castle, so there wasn't really much room for decoration. Once they made it to the balcony, the two of them quickly closed the heavy stone doors of the tunnel, effectively sealing them outside.

"Alright," Zelda said with a smile, "Let's get out of here while there is still time to escape. The guards will be changing any minute!"

Before Zelda could reach the edge of the balcony where the secret path to the top of the castle could be found, Link stopped her. Something didn't seem right. Quickly getting Zelda to stay down in a corner, Link went on ahead and took a look around.

Sure enough, there were guards on the roof…double the number that they usually were assigned when on patrols. Link inwardly cursed. This could mean only one thing; someone anticipated that the princess would leave, and decided to act accordingly.

He slunk back over to the balcony where Zelda was hiding. The princess looked a bit impatient, but after seeing the look on Link's face she visibly relaxed and waited for his report.

"Bad news," Link said, "There's extra guards on the roof. I don't think there's going to be a guard change. Whatever Cole's trying to do, he's doing it today. We've got to find another way out."

Zelda groaned. "The only other way off this balcony is by jumping down," she explained, "I don't know about you, but that's a long way down."

Link looked down over the edge of the railing on the balcony. Sadly, he had to agree with Zelda. The way down was way too far, at least if one expected to land without hurting themselves in some way. He certainly wasn't going to let Zelda fall that far. There were a couple of options that could be done; Link could jump first and try to catch Zelda, but it would be likely that he would be in no state to grab her. Suppose that he broke a bone when he landed. Jumping together wouldn't be an option either. He wasn't going to risk injuring the princess needlessly.

Link sighed in defeat and sat down. There was no way they were going to make that jump. They were effectively trapped. Zelda followed suit and buried her head in her arms.

"How are we going to get to the Tower of Spirits now?" she asked in despair.

"Maybe, if you say please, I can lend a hand!"

Zelda and Link looked up in alarm. Sitting on the rooftop of the castle, just out of sight of the soldiers but in plain sight of the two would-be-escapees, sat a cloaked figure with two large wings. He quickly jumped down and let his cloak slip off, revealing himself to be the Rito who tried to gain entrance to the castle the previous day.

The Rito looked over at Link and then nodded his head. "We meet again, young engineer," he said, "or…is it warrior now?"

Link shrugged. "It's just a phase," he said with a smile.

The Rito smiled back. Turning his gaze to the princess, he took a deep bow and ruffled his feathers. "Your majesty," he said, "I am honored by your presence. May the sun shine brightly on all your days, and may you live to have a glorious reign as queen of your people."

Zelda blushed. She got up and curtsied. "It is a pleasure meeting you, sir Rito," she said, "I understand you wished to convey counsel with me over certain important matters."

"Discussing my people, to be precise," the Rito said, "The colony has been short of supplies and needs help, but talk can come later. Right now, I can see that you both need help escaping from what appears to be the clutches of some cruel irony…either that, or you are a couple of teenagers defying authority, like all teenagers do."

Link smiled. He kind of liked this guy…even if he was covered in feathers and had a beak for a nose. Zelda seemed charmed by the Rito's behavior. Link was simply glad that they had someone a bit older on their side. At least this made things much easier.

"Excuse me," Link said, "Can you help us, Mr.…uh?"

"Call me Riko," the Rito said, "I am Riko de Montoya, youngest grandson of Great Mother Medli, and cousin to King Komali the Third of the High Seas. And yes, I can help you. I have heard many a story about the behavior of your Chancellor, and I do believe that it is best that you put much distance between the two of you. I sense a very dark veil has come upon the house of Hyrule, and it focuses its attention upon its princess."

"Can you help us get down?" Zelda asked.

Riko looked over the edge. "I can't carry you down," he said, "It would attract too much attention. It should only be fitting that I catch you both. My wings are big enough to be spotted by guards on the wall, but if I get down on the ground by that hedge, I should be well hidden."

Zelda agreed with this notion. Link nodded his approval. Spotting two kids leaping from a balcony would be harder than spotting a Rito in flight from the same distance. The two escapees backed away as the Rito leaped off of the balcony and let his wings slightly slow his descent to the ground. When he landed, he made sure he wasn't spotted by prying eyes before opening his wings and beckoning for the two to jump down.

Link placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "You go first," he said, "I'll bring up the rear and make sure nobody's spotted us."

Zelda cocked an eyebrow. "You aren't making an excuse for being afraid of heights, are you?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," Link protested, "I'm just concerned for your safety. You are the princess, after all."

Zelda scoffed. "I feel safer already," she said sarcastically. Brushing her dress against her legs, she slipped over the side and let herself fall. Link waited a second or two before he followed suit; the reason why he wanted Zelda to go first was mostly for two reasons. The first was because Zelda was lighter, and it meant that if there was a chance that Riko would get injured by Link's fall that he would at least be able to ensure Zelda got safely down. The second was because Link believed that bad luck seemed to follow him around a lot whenever it involved heights, and he didn't want Zelda getting the brunt end of this misfortune.

Unfortunately for Link, he didn't watch to see if Riko was ready to catch him yet.

Riko had dusted off Zelda with a wing as he placed her down. By the time he turned to catch Link, Link had already landed with an almighty thud, face-first; his body making an indent in the soft dirt and grass.

Zelda was quick to rush to his side. She and Riko carefully pulled Link out of his makeshift crater. After brushing him off, Zelda tried to get him up.

"Link! Are you alright? Say something!"

Link groaned. He thought he was seeing all the constellations in the night sky. When the stars finally did recede, he felt like he was dreaming when he saw two very beautiful blue eyes gaze down at him. Reality didn't recede in time before Link let out a very happy sigh.

Zelda scoffed. "Really, Link," she said, "This is no time for daydreaming! Come on…the guards will be coming around any minute!"

It took Link another moment before he shook his head to clear it. He groaned in pain. That was probably the nastiest fall he had ever experienced in his life. He wished to never wish such an experience on anyone. Never again was he going to fall from such a high place.

"Can you get up?" Riko asked.

"I…think so," Link said. The Rito and Zelda helped support him up. Though he was dizzy, his legs held firm. Finally, he allowed his friends to let go and stood up straight, dusting himself off so that he wasn't quite as dirty as he appeared.

"We'd better get going," Link said, "If there are any guards on patrol, they'll see us in no time."

"Then leave we shall," Riko said, "if her highness is ready, of course."

"I was born ready," Zelda replied with a smile.

* * *

Dodging the guards wasn't half as hard as it sounded. It was actually twice as hard. With Riko having to hide alongside Zelda, Link was forced to resolve to drastic measures in order to distract the guards, sometimes having Riko work in sync by shaking some of the hedges he was hiding in so Zelda could move forward. Link occasionally asked for tips on sword-fighting, some information on regulations and Hyrule Castle's architecture, and even the occasional battle story. Though Link got bored for some of them, he actually found the information on sword-fighting and the recollections of battles to be quite interesting. He almost missed his cue to continue helping Zelda and Riko move on past the next guard, and sometimes left without an explanation. Some of the guards who were very interested in finishing their stories followed along, and Link had to do everything he could to avoid them.

Zelda and Riko didn't have a picnic of it either. Zelda didn't expect a Rito to join in on the escape. However, he proved to be as much of a help as he was a drawback, going great lengths to ensure that Zelda was well hidden from the guards before dealing with his own safety. His wings often got in the way, though he did manage to put them to good use. His bird calls would make any bird watcher or catcher jealous, as he was able to not only imitate the coo of a dove, but the clucking of a cucco and even the caws of a raven, all at the same time! Though being part-bird probably had some help in the way of his vocal skills, it was still quite impressive whenever he poked out a white or red feather in time with his caws to make it look like a bird hiding in the hedges. The guards all bought it, and took no notice of the bushes nearby that would have most certainly held an escaping princess and a Rito.

Some of the guards were harder to distract than others. This led to complications. Often, Riko had to jump out and let himself be seen before hiding off somewhere and then doing his best to make it back to the others, just enough to let Zelda by. Other times, Link had to pick up giant rocks, showing off his superior strength-to-body ratios, and toss them so that they broke and caused many of the guards to jump in fright. Zelda was quite impressed by his strength, so much so that she almost forgot her cue to move as she watched Link pick up one of the very big, probably 300-400 pound rocks. She couldn't help but be impressed, though she chided herself for behaving like any common girl would behave.

Finally, at long last, they reached the archway that led out of the castle. With one final distraction in the form of tossing a rock over at a bust that was on display outside of the castle, which kind of led to an overkill with many of the decorated hedges, Link, Riko, and Zelda finally left the castle grounds. The three of them went quite a ways away from the castle's front door before they finally let out a sigh of relief. Zelda jumped around giddily with the knowledge that they finally managed to make it out. She even went so far as to give Link another hug, which caused him to blush once more. Riko smiled in delight, though he quickly interrupted their celebration and brought them to the attention at hand.

"Now," he said, "What exactly are we going to do now that you have escaped, your highness?"

Zelda took a couple of deep breaths to regain her composure before letting out a happy sigh. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

She brought Riko up to speed. Riko's eyebrows went up in shock when he heard Zelda's accusations of the Chancellor.

"Long have I suspected that something was going on," he said, "I'm glad I got here in time, Princess. I shall accompany you to the Spirit Tower. Perhaps then we can finally talk business…at least, once we get to your Sage, that is. Now, Link. Where is your teacher…this, Alfonzo?"

Link suddenly went very tense. He completely forgot about Alfonzo. His superior was going to be very mad at him when they got back, especially if he figured out exactly what happened last night.

"Oh…man! We'd better get going," he said, "If we're lucky, we'll find him before he finds us."

"What exactly will happen if he found us?" Zelda asked.

Link cringed as they walked amongst the crowd in Castle Town. "Believe me…you don't want to know."

* * *

Alfonzo wasn't at the hotel, or the tavern. Link had gone in alone, seeing as a boy that looked like a castle recruit being seen together with what looked like a young beggar woman and a Rito would seem strange company, and people will get suspicious. Link didn't see him anywhere, though the receptionist at the hotel and the bartender in the tavern both suspected that he was heading over to the train station. Link guessed that Alfonzo was probably looking for him, so he decided that the best place to be would have to be at the train.

When they did manage to get there, Alfonzo was getting the train set up and ready to go, grumbling to himself and holding his head as if he had a terrible headache. Link knew that Alfonzo would be really mad at him for not being around during the night, but he knew that he really didn't have much of a choice. Silently, and with some reluctance, Link led Riko and Zelda over to the train station and led them to his wooden engine.

"That's a nice train," Zelda said, "Is it yours?"

Link nodded.

"I always thought that engineers get doves as their symbol," Riko remarked, "Why the Cucco?"

"I asked Alfonzo the same question once," Link said, "I think it was best that I didn't stick around for the answer."

Alfonzo looked up when he heard the sound of voices. One look at Link, and his already grumpy move turned into outright fury, and he dropped his tools and proceeded to approach the boy. Link held his head low in shame, like a puppy that got caught eating the steak dinner that the family paid half their salary for. Riko and Zelda stood aside as Alfonzo proceeded to chew the boy out.

"Where in Farore's name have you been?!" Alfonzo growled. He didn't even bother to comment on Link's current wardrobe. "Do you have any idea how worried I was last night?!? I don't care if I'm drunk or being taken advantage of by three women who like to put holes in my pockets, you never leave the same building I'm in without my permission, understand?!!"

Link nodded. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about a fully blown lecture for long, because Riko and Zelda soon stepped in.

"Is that any way to treat someone acting under orders of his princess, Alfonzo?" Zelda said with a smile.

Alfonzo looked up…and promptly dropped his jaw.

"P-p-p-p-princess Zelda?!? Wha-what-wah? What are you doing outside of the castle?! You shouldn't be here!"

"It's nice to see you again too, Alfonzo," Zelda smirked, "Sorry that we've been out of touch since you left the castle. I'll admit, I missed hearing you bellowing orders and disciplining the new recruits outside my tower window, even if Teacher disliked it a lot."

Alfonzo rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Eh, heh, heh…I always wondered whether you could hear all that or not," he changed his mood very quickly, "However, you shouldn't distract me with talk about the old days! You know what…I'll just come out and ask. What are you doing out here without a proper escort?" he looked over and growled at Link, "Are you somehow responsible for all of this, Link? If I learn that you somehow managed to put the princess into danger, I'll—"

"Knock it off, Alfonzo," Zelda protested, "I asked for his help…and I am counting on your assistance as well. I'd feel much safer knowing that I have two worthy engineers by my side rather than just one."

Alfonzo put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot impatiently. "This had better not be one of your mad adventures, princess. What if something bad happens again like last time?"

"'If something bad happens' is exactly why I'd be needing you around! You were once the greatest swordsman in the whole kingdom, and I doubt you've been getting rusty while you were away. I'll be able to bring you up to speed when we get on the road," Zelda explained, "We need to get to the Tower of Spirits, as soon as possible. Now please…let's get going!"

"The Tower of Spirits?!?" Alfonzo shouted, "Whatever fo—you know what, never mind. As long as I don't get sent to the executioner's block for it, I'll just go with it. We leave in ten minutes."

Link sighed in relief. Zelda simply smiled. As the two kids proceeded to head towards their respected stations aboard the train; Zelda in the passenger car while Link up to the engine itself; Alfonzo approached Riko and gave him an odd look.

"I take it you are involved in this as well?" Alfonzo asked.

"In a matter of speaking," the Rito replied, "One must take up every opportunity they can for the sake of their people. In my case, I needed to speak with the princess…and she pretty much landed right in my open wings. The Gods sure do have a strange way of getting things to work, don't they?"

Alfonzo rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it," he said, "You'd better get in the passenger car if you are going to come with us. Make yourself at home."

"If I wanted to do that, I would have stayed on the castle roof," Riko said, shuddering as he tried to cramp his wings inside of the small space.

Alfonzo approached the front of the train. Seeing Link there, he grabbed the boy's shoulder to get his attention.

"Don't you dare think that last night is forgotten," Alfonzo growled, "You owe me ten day's cleaning duty in my garage, starting as soon as we get back. Understand?"

Link didn't protest one bit. "Understood," he said.

Letting go of Link's shoulder, Alfonzo made his way into the passenger car. Clearing his throat, he began to speak big and tall like he normally did when talking to passengers.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "Please fasten your seatbelts. Next stop; the Tower of Spirits."

"AAAAAAAALLLLLLLL ABOAAAARD!!!!"

Link, Alfonzo and Riko all stared at Zelda with wide eyes once she screamed out the trademark phrase that all engineers shout just before they leave the station. Alfonzo looked as if all of his dignity just got stripped away, and then some.

"Hey! That's my line!" he shouted.

Riko shook his head and sighed. "You Humans sure have some strange customs."

* * *

The train tracks were completely empty. Ever since the announcement was shouted that Whittleton and Aboda were effectively off the map, most of the engineers called it quits while they were ahead, or simply bunkered down for a very long wait. The tracks were all to themselves as Link drove his wooden engine as fast as it would go, speeding along the straightaway towards the Tower of Spirits towards the northeast.

"So," Alfonzo said over the noise of the train, "You're telling me that you think that Ambassador Cole is going to try to take your throne, and is using the disappearing Spirit Tracks as a cover-up? Zelda…you are either very paranoid or a downright genius. Of course, there has to be some kind of proof, otherwise we'd be blankly accusing the Chancellor, and that could lead to more trouble!"

"I never trusted him after my father's death," Zelda said, "Why else would he want me so close to him at the castle? It's so that he can get at me when I least expect it. He's probably setting up some big speech right now about how I disappeared, and is preparing himself a coronation ceremony even as we try to solve this mystery!"

"Well, I don't think it goes in that deep, your highness," Riko said, "However, I don't trust that man. I have no doubt that he has some kind of treachery surrounding him. It won't take long for us to find out the cause of all this, though…your Sage that you speak of should have the answers we seek."

"I always thought that Cole was kind of strange," Alfonzo said, "but to think that he could be trying to take over…to kill off the royal house…it's too much to think about. I'm just glad that we are dealing with this while we are ahead."

"So, why exactly are we heading to the Tower anyway?" Link shouted through the window of the passenger car.

"If our estimates are correct," Zelda said, "the Spirit Tracks will disappear at the edge of the Tower of Spirits in no less than a week's time. If we get to the Sage by then, our troubles are over. We'll learn what's causing this catastrophe, how to stop it, and demand Cole for an explanation to his actions against me and the throne. He'll be on his knees with a full confession in no time!"

Link wasn't so sure. If what Zelda said was correct, then that would probably mean that the chancellor was already preparing for when they came back home. He probably already won the hearts and minds of the citizens; stating that Zelda had abandoned them in their time of need. Of course…Link could always just be taking this paranoia thing a little too seriously.

He turned back to the tracks, and suddenly gasped. All of a sudden, the tracks ahead of them were suddenly vanishing; disappearing speedily and wasting away like sand against a powerful wind. Link pulled back on the emergency brake as fast as he could; cutting the engines and pulling back on all the levers he could find to punch in reverse.

All the brakes in the world wouldn't have mattered. The engine collided with solid ground and began to slide across the earth. Link pulled back on the gearbox until the lever almost shattered, closing his eyes and groaning as he tired with all his might to bring the train to a halt. Finally, after sliding on the grass for about a minute, the train came to a stop; leaning dangerously off to one side. As it fell to the ground, Link yelped as he was knocked backwards by the force of the train and sent careening off. On cue, the boiler exploded in a puff of smoke, rendering the engine useless.

"What the Hell just happened?!?"

Link shook off the dizziness from his head for the umpteenth time that week. Zelda, Riko, and Alfonzo all exited the back end of the passenger car, each of them rather anxious about what happened. None was more anxious or in anguish than Zelda, who gazed at the small imprint in the grass where the Spirit Tracks once were.

"The…the tracks," she whispered, "How…how could they be gone so fast?"

"I saw where they ended," Riko said, "They came to rest at the castle. All of them…even the ones off in the distance. My hawk-like eyes haven't failed me yet."

"If they've stopped at the castle…" Zelda pondered, "Then…oh, this is all confusing. What's going on?"

"By the Spirits…Your Highness! Look over there!"

Everyone gazed at Alfonzo, who was looking in the opposite direction of the Castle; towards the northeast. Everyone, Link included, gasped at the dark and terrible thing that they saw.

A thick, black cloud had sprouted from the top of the Tower of Spirits, blanketing the whole of New Hyrule under its mighty expanse. The dark, black, lightless void encircled the top of the tower, expanding outwards until it almost touched the edge of Castle Town in its tremendous girth. Spiraling downwards, the black clouds began to encircle the tower in a great spiral, gripping the tower like tremendous, living tentacles of gas and smoke, until it threatened to pull the entire tower from the earth it stood upon.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous flash of energy. With a mighty blast, the tower suddenly exploded; the tremendous stone separated into four, gigantic pieces. Only the base remained intact as the others began to fall and threatened to crash to the ground and destroy everything in their wake.

Before even a tiny fraction of the towers could even touch the grass below, coils of lightning and energy struck the pieces, returning them back to their original places. Though the tower pieces didn't return together, they did float in the air; in the space where the tower originally stood. Orbiting around in an axis, and being held together by streams and bolts of energy, the tower continued to remain stable…as much as its current state allowed. The black cloud continued to spew lightning and hover around the tower, though the tendrils that destroyed the tower returned to their original state.

"What…What's happening to the Tower of Spirits?" Zelda asked in fright.

Nobody could answer. What had happened took place within only a few minutes, and yet it rocked every one of them to their cores. Even Riko, who wasn't even human, could not help but feel an icy fear grip his heart, and a veil of dismay cover his whole body.

"This…this is all wrong," Zelda whispered.

Nobody could have agreed more.

A sudden roar brought their attention up to the cloud above. All four travelers backed away and gasped in fright as the cloud began to expand out towards the group. Like a mighty arm, it grew and grew and began to come closer towards them. Link could tell that it wasn't exactly the cloud that was coming towards them, but more like something _inside_ of the cloud…something very dark, sinister, and deadly.

The cloud's arm parted, and what sprouted forth was like something that came out of the forgeries of madness. It was a gigantic train. That was all that one could mutter at first glance, because of the shock of the thing's arrival would have numbed their entire bodies before they could even get a chance to describe it. It was a gigantic train; a locomotive of some advanced, yet ancient, age of industry. Metal coursed over its entire body; no wood or any sign of organic material could be seen. The boiler, which should have been several solid sheets of metal in the position of a cylinder, moved about like tremendous gears, and bright, orange-red gems laced the ends of each gear. The front end of the train had a powerful, razor-sharp grills that poked out in a shape of a deadly gear. A total of 7 wheels on each side propelled the vehicle forward through the air. However, it was none of these that made the train remotely impressive or deadly.

The front of the train had a face.

It was massive. The eyes acted as lights, and the nose was dark red. The mouth and the nostrils spouted steam as the machine moved, and the face was permanently set in a look of contempt, anger, and rage. The mighty steel jaws opened up and gave out a mighty roar before the train flew above the four travelers.

Link immediately dived at Zelda, protecting her with his body. Alfonzo and Riko both jumped aside just in time as the train began to fly above the ground, barely missing the damaged train. A dark, black fog covered the whole ground, rendering visibility at zero.

Link coughed. "You…you okay, Zelda?" he asked.

Zelda also coughed at the taste of the foul-smelling air. "I'm fine," she said, "Th-thank you for saving me."

Link couldn't help but feel a wash of pride inside when he heard those words. Getting himself up off of the ground, he reached down and grabbed her hand, picking her up on her feet. Alfonzo and Riko got up from where they were on the ground, and Alfonzo pulled out his saber's scabbard from behind his back.

"What was that thing?" Alfonzo asked. He let out an almighty cough. "And what is this stuff?!"

"Diesel," Riko said before coughing again, "At least, it smells like diesel. But it's far too foul to be any kind of oil I know of."

"That's because it runs by the rage of a thousand lost souls, my poultry friend."

Everyone turned towards the sound of the voice. Due to visibility being zero, they couldn't tell who it was. However, Zelda alone recognized the voice, and she gasped.

"You!" she said.

"Out for a leisurely stroll, Your Highness?" the voice laughed, "Tsk, tsk, tsk…you know that is not allowed...and you know very well how I hate rule breakers!"

"Allowed by who?" Zelda shouted, "You, Chancellor Cole?!"

There was a chuckle. Suddenly, the clouds dissipated, revealing the politician standing between them and the castle off in the distance. The little man smiled slightly; he had a look of satisfaction upon his face, like he had just managed to see things get done correctly the first time. With a growl, he narrowed his eyes, and the air around him was suddenly filled with the same black smoke as the crippled Spirit Tower. With an almighty roar, his two top-hats suddenly shredded to pieces, and the smoke cleared.

"WHO ELSE?! WHO DO YOU THINK IS REALLY IN CHARGE?!?!"

Link and the others gasped. Chancellor Cole had suddenly changed very horribly. His skin had become paler, and his mustache became razor sharp; almost like a pair of knives growing out of his body. His ears grew into spiky folds of flesh that pointed out like a pair of horrid bat wings. His fingers sprouted claws, which were clenched into a fist and covered in blood red markings. His eyes grew very wide, revealing the madness and deadly effectiveness within his soul. His teeth formed into powerful fangs, which gleamed in the sunlight. The most terrible and yet almost unsurprising change of all was lay beneath his now destroyed hats; a pair of demon horns sat atop his head.

Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light. From behind Cole, a very big and powerful-looking man approached, standing by Cole's side and instantly crouching into a fighting position. His left hand held a powerful gauntlet, which was purple in color and had sharp appendages sticking out of the structure. His hair was in a makeshift ponytail, and his face was covered by a bandanna. He wore leather armor that failed to hide the strong muscles on his body.

"My goodness," Cole said with a sigh, "Pretending to be a human is exhausting. Nay, it's nigh short of unspeakable torture! Who would have known that Chancellor was another word for Royal Babysitter?! Of course…personally I'm glad things turned out this way. At least now, I don't have to worry about making a scene at the castle. There's too likely of a chance that there would be witnesses."

The Chancellor smiled. "I had meant to keep up with this ruse long enough to ensure that my preparations would be in order," he said, "But you pushed me to this, Princess. Now, all I have to do is deal with your three little friends. Bringing them into this mess didn't help either, but at least now I won't have to worry about being bored any longer!"

"What are you talking about?" Zelda asked, "What is going on, Cole? What is your ruse? Is it really necessary to go so far as transform yourself into this abomination, just so you can take my throne?!"

Cole dropped his jaw in shock, and then sighed in disappointment. "Oh, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda," he muttered, "You'd think that you'd understand what's really going on. I'm more than just taking advantage of the Spirit Tracks…I am the cause!"

Cole began to pace across the grass. "At last, the time is finally nigh," he said, "It couldn't have been sooner, either. If I had let your body grow more than a year after puberty, its defenses would ensure that it can never be properly used, and I'd be stuck to have to wait until the next pitiful descendant of Hyrule's house would come.

"Now that things are finally ready," he said, turning to face the four of them, "all that we need is…tee, hee…a little help from you…Your…HIGH…NESS!!!"

Cole suddenly flashed out his claws and began to dance around crazily on the ground. Zelda backed away in fright, but before anyone could do anything, Alfonzo stepped between the princess and the two intruders.

"I don't know exactly who Cole is anymore," Alfonzo said, "or who his henchman is, Your Highness. But with your permission…"

He brought his sheath up and held it up between his body and the two evil men.

"…I shall gladly teach them some manners."

Cole suddenly floated into the air and growled. "NYAH, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah!!! How gallant, how brave, HOW INCREDIBLY FOOLHARDY!!!" he shouted, "But, then again, I'd expect nothing greater from the pig head known formerly as Alfonzo, the Swordsman!"

Alfonzo drew his sword and tossed the sheath aside, slashing the weapon expertly before bringing it to a protective guard.

"Enough out of you!" he said, "My family has served the royal house for generations! I will not stand by and let you harm a single golden hair of my princess!"

The tall man with the gauntlet stepped forward and stood beside Cole. The demon looked up at his henchman. "Melodrama bores me," he said, "Byrne…will you kindly dispose of this meddlesome fool?"

"This man speaks the truth, Cole," the man called Byrne said, "His movements and posture are not those of an amateur. But…then again, he is only human. I will dispose of him easily."

Byrne brought up his gauntlet in an attacking position. As Alfonzo prepared to defend himself, Riko quickly flew to his side and drew out a pair of daggers hidden beneath the fold of his wings.

"I am not so human, ally of demon scum!" the Rito hissed, "Now...taste the wrath of Riko de Montoya, descendant of the great Komali and Medli! RAAH!"

Riko attacked, but was distracted by Cole, who began to play a cat and mouse game with the adult Rito. Both took to the skies and chased each other down, a sort of duel to the death that would mean the end of either of them if they weren't careful. On the ground, Byrne and Alfonzo circled each other, until Alfonzo swiftly attacked. Byrne brought up his gauntlet to defend himself, and both attacked right and left with each others' respective weapons. Link and Zelda, both unarmed and in no condition to fight, both looked on as the warriors fought one another.

"I told you," Alfonzo chuckled, "I will defend the princess at any cost!"

"And…I told you," Byrne grunted, pushing his body against Alfonzo's and driving him back, "You…are only human."

Alfonzo was suddenly punched in the gut by Byrne's free hand. In the sky, Cole managed to grab Riko by his hair and was riding on him like a cowboy. Riko tried to buck him off and dive-bomb the demon, but was kicked down to the ground by the laughing demon. Riko swiftly landed flat on his feet alongside Alfonzo, and both turned to face the oncoming Byrne.

Too late. Byrne's gauntlet rippled with energy as Byrne's fist struck. The gauntlet launched a powerful explosion, and both Link and Zelda had to cover their eyes to protect themselves from the flash of light.

When they both opened their eyes, they saw Alfonzo and Riko flying above their heads. Alfonzo yelled out in pain as he flew through the air and landed with a thud on the passenger car of the train, flat on his back. The force knocked him out, and he slipped down like a dead weight from the roof of the car. He fared a lot better than Riko, who had landed flat on his head. His limbs went straight up and his body went as rigid as a telephone pole, his landing announced by a goose-like squawk of pain. He teetered over and landed on the other side with an eagle-like screech and a shower of feathers.

Zelda gasped as she saw Alfonzo's cold body on the ground. Behind them, Cole shouted with glee and flew about Byrne's head crazily.

"Nyee hee hee hee hee!!! Oh, Byrne…you sure know how to put on a great show!"

"It was hardly a fair fight, Cole," Byrne grunted.

"Like I give a care whether or not it is a fair fight?!? Now…can you deal with our last obstacle?"

Byrne didn't reply. Instead, he turned to the two children. With Cole laughing silently behind him, Byrne approached Zelda and raised his gauntlet.

"Help me, Link!" Zelda gasped.

Link was almost petrified when he saw Alfonzo on the ground. For all he knew, he and Riko were dead. However, hearing Zelda's voice calling his name caused him to snap out of his fear. Without thinking, he swiftly ran between Zelda and Byrne and brought himself between the two, holding out his arms and preventing the powerful henchman from passing.

"Hmm," Byrne chuckled, "You have guts, kid…just not enough."

With his free hand, Byrne struck out at Link, slapping him aside like he was nothing more than a doll. Link shouted as he flew through the air, and he landed in a heap on the ground at least 20 feet away from Zelda. The princess wanted more than ever to rush to Link's side, but Byrne blocked her, keeping her trapped between himself and the tower beyond.

"L-L-Link?" she said weakly. She turned and saw Byrne approach her. "NO! Don't come any closer!"

"There's nowhere to run," Byrne said, "Brace yourself…this is going to hurt."

Zelda backed away, constantly gazing over at Link. The boy was lying still on the ground. For all she knew, he could be dead; his neck broken, or his head in a serious concussion. Though she wanted to run, she couldn't help but feel responsible for him, and she wanted more than ever to rush to his side and at least try to help him get away.

"Wh…what are you going to do to me?" Zelda asked feebly.

"Oh…not me, Princess," Byrne said.

Link, meanwhile, was stirring. His left hand burned like he had dipped it in hot iron. Though he couldn't see it, a very faint golden triangle had formed on the back of it, and it was burning so hot that it kept him from slipping out of consciousness.

Byrne pointed a finger up above his head. On cue, Cole suddenly popped up, his hands covered in dark energy. With a gleeful shout of joy, he let loose a salvo of dark, black magic, which coursed all throughout Zelda's body.

Zelda let out a scream as the black magic coursed through her veins. Her world suddenly went black, and with a final sigh, she felt her spirit leave her body.

Zelda's body collapsed on the ground, her frail, tender skin still housing the same beauty she had in life. With a flash of white, a sphere of bright light suddenly flew from her chest. After hovering for a while in confusion, the sphere flew a bit higher into the air, right before it came up towards Cole.

"BLEAAAAAAAAAGGHUBABGHUBA!" Cole shouted.

The sphere flashed once, and then suddenly flew away towards the castle.

Cole smiled. "Good work, Byrne," he said, "Your distraction was perfect. I was afraid she was going to run. The spell only works if you stare them right in the eyes; otherwise, the body dies when the soul leaves."

"I still think it is wrong," he said, "We could have at least waited for a male heir. Why take a princess? I doubt he'd like using her to house his soul anyway."

"Thousands of years can make any option more preferable than imprisonment," Cole said, "Besides…the sacred power only works on female heirs. Hylian tradition. It's why every first girl in their family is always named Zelda. She's the first girl that the royal house has had in a long time."

"What do you think that pitiful city's going to do without you around?" Byrne asked.

"Meh," Cole said, "I made preparations to ensure it will remain stable while I am gone. I could have done more if Zelda hadn't have rushed things, but it'll be intact by the time all is done. I mean, after all, his majesty wants at least a few subjects under his reign."

Byrne shrugged. "What of the girl?" he said, motioning in the direction the spirit went, "Do you think she'll be a problem?"

"Her soul has just been taken from her body," Cole said, "She's in a state of confusion, remorse, and despair. The thought of seeing her face just makes me feel so giddy! Nyeee hahahaha!! Nobody will see her, seeing as nobody witnessed the spell go off…she's invisible to the whole world."

"Not all of it," Byrne said, "The Lokomos will be able to see her. Do you think that she—?"

"Byrne, she is a little girl, lost and confused, and can contact with absolutely no one. She also doesn't have a body, and is pretty much a lost, purgatorial soul left to wilt away here for all time, never to pass on until she's…officially dead. With even part of that knowledge in mind, would you be emotionally capable of going to the slaves of the Spirits?"

Byrne let the thought simmer in his head for a moment, and then smiled. "I suppose you are right," he said.

"I am always," Cole replied, "Come now, Byrne. Grab the body. And be careful with it! That thing is expensive. If we lose it, it's likely we'll never find something with as much protection for hundreds of years!"

Byrne reached down with his free arm and picked Zelda up. He began to follow Cole towards the descending Demon Train, which had been steadily circling them and waiting for their arrival.

"So," Byrne said, "Tell me…so I can understand how it works for future use. We are sure to see Zelda, and the Lokomos can see her. But why not humans?"

"Petty mortals need to see many things in order to believe them," he said, "It's why many of them are atheists nowadays. They can't see Demons or Spirits like you or me, so the unnatural world is invisible to their eyes. With that in mind, it is safe to say that Zelda will not be a problem…you can't murder somebody and leave a witness to tell what happened, can you?"

Without another word, the two henchmen took their spoils into their vehicle and took off. The Demon Train roared to life and began to take the two of them up and up towards the top of the Spirit Tower.

Little did Cole and Byrne know that they did indeed have a witness.

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: If there is one thing readers have learned when looking at my stuff, is that I curse them with cliffhangers. Probably one of the most epic is the scene where Cole pretty much murders Zelda and takes her soulless body away, leaving Link behind to witness the whole event. Save for Link being descended from the Hero of the Winds, who in turn is a spiritual reincarnation of the Hero of Time, I felt it would be best to give a bit more of an explanation to the whole reason why only Link and the Lokomos can see her and virtually nobody else can.

The scene with Link and Zelda in bed, and Zelda wakes up to find Link dreaming, wasn't all too bad in my mind. I needed something for character development, and since I have an idea about Link's past that can be implemented into the future, I thought that I might as well give some clues to his origins to Zelda, seeing as it's going to affect her a lot later on in the future. Of course, this story isn't going to be a therapy center for Link or Zelda...or both. Mass Effect and other Bioware games have that part of the gaming universe covered. lol. However, there will be guaranteed to be some drama n' stuff in this story, so those of you who like a good drama or sad tale, then don't be disappointed.

Ciela: Any other special announcements, Kerian?

**Kerian**: Actually, there is. Sorry to tell everyone this, but this is going to be the last submission for this story for a while; about a month at least. Several of my other fans have been waiting for me to update on my other stories, and since I've got a lot on here that needs updated, I can only do so much on one story alone. I'll come back to this, though; don't you fret about that! For the moment, bask in the glory that is my first ever novelizaition of any of the Zelda games, and hope that I can continue with it and not fall upon the curse of the Novelization that has befallen many a fanfic author that has attempted what I am doing now...lol.

Ciela: Oh, please. Just ask them to pray you don't get writer's block and be done with it.

**Kerian**: *shakes his head* Well, at least for a while I'm free of you, Ciela. However, I'll admit...you are a lot less annoying than Darin is. I'll probably miss working with you.

Ciela: It's not like this is goodbye, genius. I'm still a character for Legacy of the Sages. I'm bound to turn up sooner or later.

Darin: What's going on in here? What's all the commotion?

Ciela: I got to do some author's notes instead of you.

Darin: *shocked gasp* WHAT? Kerian! How could you? After all we've been through together...you just go off and drop me for my sister?!

Ciela: Big brother, chill out. You've got a monopoly everywhere else anyway. It's not like it matters if I'm on the author's notes or not.

Darin: It matters to me! I'm at least a hundred years older than you are!

Ciela: Oh, so if I start calling you grandpa, then will you be happy?

Darin: Why, I aughta-

**Kerian**: This is probably going to drag out for a while. Until next time, we out!

-Kerian, Ciela, and a very disgruntled Darin


	7. Chapter 6: Phantom of the Castle

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Chapter 6: Phantom of the Castle

* * *

Dark were his dreams of late. Link felt himself tossing and turning; a great pain in the back of his head forming into a numbing and mind-boggling agony. He was unconscious, and yet he was dreaming…dreaming dark and horrid dreams.

He was facing against a powerful wizard. A sword was in his left hand, and a shield in the other. The wizard wore dark blue robes, had powerful red eyes, and wore a midnight blue cap. He laughed as he began to transform into a much taller, much darker being, and floated around the room. Link could barely make out a young girl, lying against the wall, her body encased in stone. She wore a beautiful white and pink dress, and had golden blonde hair.

_Zelda!_

"The Light Force is mine, fool!" the wizard shouted, "You cannot escape the fate that I have proclaimed for you!"

"We'll see about that, Vaati!" Link found himself saying.

Link suddenly felt a very powerful force, like something tearing him apart. All of a sudden, three copies formed on either side of him; a blue one, a red one, and a purple one. Each wore similar clothing, and were his mirror image save for their emotions set upon their faces. All four of them held the same kind of sword…no, it _was_ the same sword. Together, as one, the four of them leaped and struck out at the powerful mage.

The dream suddenly vanished, and was replaced by yet another. This time, Link was carrying a much different sword. This sword seemed right in his hand; as if it fit him somehow. It was a silver blade with a blue-purple hilt, and a green gemstone in the center of the crossguard. He was running through water, and he seemed to be inside of a chamber where there was nothing but water for walls, ceiling, even part of the floor! Link, somehow, wasn't afraid, but was concerned for the safety of someone…someone he loved.

"Keep going, Link!" shouted a familiar voice, "You can do it!"

"Not likely, girl. I will not let the Hero defeat me this time!"

Link turned and stopped running. Zelda was standing parallel to him on the other side of a circular basin that was rapidly flooding with water. As the stuff came crashing down, a man in flowing robes approached Link with his two mighty swords. His skin was dark, but his spirit was darker, as his eyes seemed to reflect the evil within his heart. His red hair was kept in a strange curling headdress, and his body was flowing with gold trinkets and ebon silk.

"Let us finish what we started, boy!" the man growled, "You'll pay for bringing my plans to such an end…"

"Only one of us will fall, Ganondorf," Link said, "And it's certainly not going to be me!"

Link struck with the sword, striking at the man and parrying each of his attacks with deadly accuracy. His movements were those of an expert, even though Link had never personally touched a sword in his life before. His sword seemed to sing with each strike, though it was not because it was made of bad metal, but because it seemed to have a spirit that was poised to strike at his monstrous foe.

The dream vanished one more time. In the next one, he was running around in a great circle, following a stone floor that was one of many that encircled a great pool in the very center of a gigantic chamber. As he ran, something very big and very black shot out from its hiding place within the depths. It was a tremendous, black tentacle, with a green and purple eye gazing out from the center of a giant paddle-like end. Link got out a bow and strung an arrow, and immediately shot a well-aimed and well-timed missile at the center of the eye. The thing shriveled and began to strike blindly at the ground before retracting into a monstrous, green mass. The giant thing was hanging off of the pillars of the room by other, similarly structured tentacles, and had a single black eye sitting atop the green and decaying mass. The smell of foul seaweed and disgusting carrion hung in the air, probably from the beast itself.

"Quickly, Link!" a green fairy said suddenly, "Take him down with your arrows! Send him crawling back into the depths that he crawled out from!"

"You've got it, Ceila!" Link shouted. He aimed again and launched several arrows at the eyes as they were blinking. Three tentacles shuddered and began to retract, while a fourth dodged out of the way. The lack of support was enough for the thing to lose its balance and fall, though not before it managed to save itself and begin pulling itself up to confront Link on his floor.

The monster opened its "mouth" and revealed its mighty black and green eye. It seemed to roar at Link as its eye rolled over backwards and popped out of the opposite end of the socket. The beast launched a series of tentacles at the boy. Link raised his sword, which had an hourglass at the hilt, and made a quick figure eight movement with the blade.

Time stood absolutely still. It wasn't just still as in everything was frozen in a flash of adrenaline, but time was literally standing still. Link was the only thing moving. Not even his fairy companion moved in the gloom.

Link came up and raised his sword at the creature's eye. With a mighty war cry, he sent the blade crashing down upon the creature's flesh…

And then he blacked out…

* * *

When Link awoke, he was in a firm bed and looking up at a stone ceiling. He was covered in light blankets, and the smell of oak wood smoke filled his nostrils. The night sky gazed down at him from a nearby window, and it seemed almost as if he had just woken up from a horrible nightmare. Was Zelda still waiting for him? Was it time to go yet?

Then he remembered. Something happened, before he was knocked out. This wasn't Zelda's room. A quick glance to his right confirmed that Alfonzo was indeed asleep in another bed, likely still unconscious. Link didn't see Riko anywhere, or Zelda…

Wait…where is…

"_Link! Help me!"_

"ZELDA!"

Link sat bolt upright in the bed, and suddenly gripped his stomach. Looking down, he saw that he was wrapped up in a bandage that covered his lower ribs. He remembered the blow that Cole's henchman had delivered when he was trying to protect the princess. If something like that was hard enough to break bones, he was lucky that his neck didn't get snapped.

"Well now, my boy! I'm glad you finally decided to return to the world of the living!"

Link turned to his left. The old man that was with Zelda during the ceremony, the one she called Teacher, was standing near his bed. The old man approached the boy and began to pat him gently on the shoulder in a fatherly manner.

"There, there, now," he said, "Calm down. You must have had quite a dream, young man. I bet it was a long one, too…you certainly had the time for it."

"The…time?" Link asked in confusion. He groaned when the pain in his ribs returned, though they quickly subsided. "How long was I out?"

"You were all out for at least the past three days," the old man said, "We managed to find out after the crowd outside was shouting about the disappearance of the tracks. After we heard all of the commotion, I sent my guards out and they came back with you, Alfonzo, and some barbaric Rito in tow. The three of you were all unconscious…and I think the Rito had a concussion or something in the head."

"Three days?!" Link asked. How could it have been three days already? What had become of the town since the Spirit Tracks were gone...and, even worse, what's become of Zelda?

"Excuse me, sir," Link said urgently, "But I have to go!"

"Go?!" the teacher asked, "Why, you most certainly cannot. From what I've heard, young man, you are the one boy who managed to have the fewest injuries compared to the other two. Since Alfonzo is still unconscious, and since the Rito is in no position or capability to be able to be talked to, I think that _you_ shall be answering some questions before you even think of taking a foot out of that door! Am I clear?"

Link opened his mouth to protest, but then decided against it. "Yes, sir," he said.

"Alright," the old man said before clearing his throat, "Now…tell me…what in the blazes is going on? Where is the princess, and the chancellor? Why have the tracks disappeared so quickly? Any information you provide is worthy."

Well, the man said that any information was worthy, so Link decided that it was only best that he told the truth. He told him everything…about Zelda giving him the letter, how he snuck in and spent the night with her, how they got past the guards with Riko's help, how they managed to drive out of Castle Town only to be thwarted by the disappearing tracks. He even told him about how Cole was a demon, and what he managed to see while everyone thought he was unconscious.

The memories that sprung up were frightening. He couldn't believe that he had seen Cole…kill Zelda. There was no other way to describe it. What else could have done such a thing? They were speaking of how her soul was gone, and there was only one way for a soul to leave a body…in death.

"So…" Teacher said calmly, "So, what you are trying to tell me is that Chancellor Cole was trying to wipe away the tracks, that he and his henchman ambushed you, nearly killed Alfonzo and…this, Riko…and murdered the princess? And they are still at large somewhere with her body?"

Link bit his lip as he nodded. Coming out of someone else's mouth made it sound rather stupid. However, he could tell that the teacher had his doubts.

"Hmm…this is all a joke, isn't it?" the old man asked, "You'd better not be pulling my leg, boy, or I'll—"

"No sir," Link said, "I'm not…I'm telling the truth. I swear by the crest of Hyrule that I was speaking no lies or deceit."

There was silence between the two. Link felt very awkward at that moment, and could feel beads of sweat falling down his neck. The teacher looked as still as a statue, and almost seemed as if he had indeed become a life-sized bust of himself, right there in the room.

Suddenly, the teacher screamed.

"AAAAAAAH!!!" the old man suddenly fidgeted and fumbled, his knees shaking and his hands gripping tightly upon a white, silk handkerchief, which was quickly becoming wet with sweat. Buckets of the stuff seemed to be pouring out of the pores of his body, and he needed to wipe his glasses off to keep the sweat off of it.

"Oh, dear! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! The princess is missing; likely kidnapped, or killed! And the Chancellor is behind it all! If she is dead, the royal line is gone, and w-w-w-w-we will have no one to lead us! Oh, I must tell the princess…oh, yes. Right…of course, she's not here. I've got to get a hold of myself. What would Princess Zelda do at a time like this? Yes…oh, that's it, Teacher…good thinking!"

Link could tell that the man needed time alone with his thoughts. He sighed and leaned back against the wall, with his back to the door.

Suddenly, he heard a strange sound…a sound that seemed like someone was crying. It was an echo…an eerie echo. It seemed to be coming from outside in the main areas of the castle, as if someone was wandering around…crying gently like a light drizzle of a rain.

_That voice is familiar_, Link thought. _Oh…but I can't leave Alfonzo. He's my mentor. I've got to stay loyal to him._

Alfonzo seemed to stir in his sleep, though he quickly reverted to his normal state of complete lack of consciousness. Link looked behind him and out the door. The crying had gotten closer, and whoever was crying had just past. Link could almost swear that he saw a glowing dress tassel pass the edge of the door.

Ah, it did no good. Alfonzo could wait. If he really was unconscious and doing poorly, it was likely that he would need lots of rest, even if he wakes up. Link knew that the man could survive that long without him. Without a second glance back at the stammering teacher, he left the medical chamber.

* * *

The castle was very quiet. Even the breeze that once breathed through the window when he was here last had died down. Soldiers moved about in confusion, wondering what to do. They had heard the rumors that the Princess was missing and that the Chancellor was involved somehow. With no one to directly control the events of Hyrule Castle, there wasn't much that could be done. Everyone was either patrolling for no reason or just standing around.

Link was virtually ignored as he walked through the castle. He guessed that this was partially because he was still in his uniform that he borrowed. Someone must have been taking care of him very well, because he was wearing a rather clean tunic and pants. He kept following the sound of the crying, which led him down a couple of hallways and through at least a couple of banquet halls. Whoever was crying had a very familiar voice…and even though he only knew her for a couple of days, he knew just who it could be.

Of course, she had to be almost impossible to find.

Link made a real show of himself. He looked all over the place; behind tunics, under tables, even in chandeliers. When some of the guards asked him what he was doing, he just said that he was looking for someone. Surprisingly, they left him be, occasionally giving him some safety tips in case if he was trying to climb up something like a banister or a wall (Link's loved climbing trees; it was one of his most favorite past times).

Not once did he catch even a glimpse of the princess, or even proof that she was around. He did occasionally manage to find a golden hair or two, but they were so old that Link literally could blow dust off of them. He was just about to give up looking for her altogether when he reached the throne room.

Letting out a tremendous sigh and sitting down hard on a chair in the corner, he was about to call his search good. Leaning forward and burying his hands in his arms, he wondered whether he actually heard Zelda crying, or if he was just going crazy. At this point, due to the blow he received when Byrne struck him down, he pretty much doubted his sanity. However, as he raised his head up, his eyes began to grow wide in shock.

There was Zelda. She was crying all right…as a matter of fact, she was sobbing buckets of tears. What caught Link off guard wasn't the fact that she was there…but the fact that she was floating!

Her whole body had taken on a much paler hue. It wasn't just her body though; her skin, hair, even dress had gone completely pale; almost a bluish-hue. She was floating along, not even bothering to step down on the ground, and her head was buried in her hands.

"Please…" she said, "Can…can anyone hear me? Can anybody…see me?"

She passed in front of one of the guards. He stood rather unfazed, though he did wipe a hand in front of his eyes as if dust was getting in front of them. Zelda tried to get his attention as best as she could, but to no avail. Finally, the guard turned to his partner on the other side of the throne.

"Hey," he said, "I think I'm coming down with something. I swear that I can see something blurry in front of my eyes!"

"Ah, it's nothing," the other one said, "Probably just a dust cloud. Just ignore it."

This caused Zelda to weep some more. She buried her face in her hands and suddenly took off, brushing by the man's cheek as she did. Not once did she stop as she sped over to the door…and passed right through it!

_She's a ghost!_ Link thought.

"Ack! Brrrr!! What in Din's name was that?! I think I'm coming down with a cold or something. First I'm seeing things…now my face is getting chills!"

"Why don't you go over to medical," the other guard said, "I think that kid got up, so they have a bed open."

"I think I might just do tha—OOF!"

Link had dashed over to the door and opened it with all of the strength he had. He obviously underestimated his own strengths, because the door suddenly slammed right into the face of the other guard. Link mumbled a quick apology before quickly dashing off and following where Zelda's ghost had disappeared to.

* * *

There was really only one place that Link could truly go to…Zelda's bedroom. Link quickly approached the hallway with as much stealth as he could, knowing that there would be guards around. However, since there wasn't a princess to guard, nobody paid much attention to him as he slunk his way up the stairs and into the hallway that led to Zelda's room. Taking care not to attract much attention he reached out and opened the door.

The sound of crying first came to his ears. It was almost like an echo that rose and fell in time to each sob. It was a sound that would make even the most heartless man feel despair in his soul, and Link almost cried as well. As Link approached, he could see, without a doubt, that the bed of Zelda was occupied.

Zelda's ghost, or spirit; whatever she was; was lying upon the bed. Her head was buried in her pillow, and her head moved back and forth in time with her sobbing. Had she have been…well, alive…Link would have come close and try to do his best to comfort her. As it was, though, Link wasn't sure exactly what to do.

So great was his confusion...that he had forgotten to close the door.

A slight breeze from inside of the castle rectified the problem, and with a loud slam the door came shut. Zelda raised her head in shock and confusion at the sound, and quickly turned to see the disturbance.

The eyes of the two children locked. An intense silence seemed to hang through the room. Link could only gaze into those beautiful eyes; though they were faded, they still possessed the same shine as they did in life. He could not tell why, but he was oddly attracted to Zelda…so much so, that he would be willing to do anything for her, even if she wasn't the princess.

Zelda seemed to be confused as to why Link was staring in her direction. Was she not invisible to everyone? She thought that there could be something that attracted his eye behind her, but the way that he stared so intensely…It gave her reason to try something. She decided to move out of the way, but when she did, she noticed that his eyes…seemed to follow her.

"You…you can see me?" she asked.

Link let loose a rather cute smile. Zelda's heart leapt for joy…well, sort of…when she saw Link nod his head slowly. With a cry of both despair and joy, she suddenly sped over to Link with lightning speed; floating as fast as she could, so that she could embrace the boy.

Link suddenly tensed up as he felt a very intense chill. Zelda had gone so fast that she actually sped right through him. It was like stepping into a cold shower, or getting tossed into the ocean when winter began to set in. In short…it wasn't the most comfortable of experiences.

Zelda gazed down at her hands in confusion. Once again, fate seemed to be laughing as she was reminded yet again that she was a ghost. She began to weep some more, burying her face in her arms as she knelt upon the ground in despair.

Link could only gaze at her. Such a sight was heartbreaking. He couldn't explain why, but he wanted Zelda to stop crying. More than anything, he wanted for her to stop being in despair and have a smile upon her face. It took all of his inner strength of heart to keep himself from weeping as well, for he felt helpless to comfort her…after all, how does one comfort a ghost?

_Ghost or no ghost, I have to try_, Link thought.

"Zelda?" Link asked.

The girl didn't move. "Go away," she said.

"Zelda," Link tried to sound as compassionate as he could, "We'll find a way to get you out of this. You'll see…"

Zelda sat rigid for a few seconds, and then suddenly leapt to her feet. Floating in the air, she gazed at Link with wild, crazed eyes; her hair floating in all directions, giving her the appearance of a phantom that had just sprung out of the fiery depths of Hell.

"_LOOK AT ME!!!_" she shouted, "I'M DEAD, LINK! Don't you get it?!? There is no getting better once you are dead!! I'm gone…just like my parents…and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it! For all I know, you could be imagining I'm here, and-and-and for all I know, you may as well not even care!! GO AWAY NOW!!"

She spun about for a few seconds until she went out of control and suddenly ran into a wall. Instead of passing through, she actually struck the wall and fell down hard upon her bed. She stayed very still upon landing, though her ghostly body moved once more as she sobbed again.

This time, Link could not help himself. Though he was indeed rather frightened from the reaction that Zelda gave him earlier, he wasn't going to let that stop him. Being brave, and knowing the consequences that would happen, he approached the bed, climbed up, and reached out towards her shoulder.

To the surprise of them both, his hand did not pass through her body. Her skin, though still soft, felt rather cold, though it was a discomfort that Link knew he could ignore. Zelda's skin seemed to go tense, and she looked back to Link, her eyes showing confusion and astonishment, as she gazed into his eyes.

"You…are you…touching me?"

Link really didn't know how to react, but Zelda didn't even give him time to. Link was swiftly swept into a very cold hug, and felt, strangely enough, very cold and wet tears flowing onto his shoulder. Though making a face from the uncomfortable cold, Link did the best that he could to embrace her back, going so far as to stroke her hair in an attempt to calm her down. As he did, he noticed that her crying had slowed down quite a bit, as if he was slowly draining her sadness away.

Link reminisced that he would never to this to any other girl. Indeed, he'd probably even be limited with some of the girls back home. He hadn't even given Kara more than a hug or a compassionate pat on the back. And here he was, hugging a princess, even if she was a ghost…

For some reason, Link was okay with that.

Finally, Zelda stopped crying. Wiping her eyes, which glowed even in the light of day, she began to speak up.

"I should really apologize to Alfonzo for all of this…" she said, "And…I should apologize to you. I had no…I had no idea that the Chancellor would be capable of such evil. I didn't…I didn't think he would hurt you."

She lifted her head up off of Link's shoulder and gazed deeply into his eyes. "Thank you for trying to save me," she said, "That was very brave of you. I didn't think anybody would be able to do that, lest they had a lot of discipline like Alfonzo or one of the guards. I was…I was a fool to think that we could get away with something like that. Please…can you ever forgive me?"

Even in death, her eyes were mesmerizing orbs, like beautiful gems or vast pools reflecting in the sunlight. However, this time the charm behind them, or perhaps even the influence behind them, was all gone. Zelda had become an ordinary girl; saddened, afraid, and truly sorry for what she had done.

Link sighed. "How can I not forgive you?" he asked, "If anything, I'm sorry for not being a better help. I should have tried to fight back, instead of stand there and asking to get belted across the…across the…"

Zelda's influencing charm suddenly returned, and Link was again mesmerized by the glow from her eyes. Neither of them said anything for a while, though had someone have looked in, they would have thought that Link was steadily going into madness by peering into nothing. Regardless, Link felt like he could just gaze into her eyes forevermore, and wanted the moment to last as long.

Finally, Zelda's eyes closed, and the moment ceased. Link could feel that his heart had been beating quite fast, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Thankfully, Zelda didn't notice…at least, she didn't point it out anyway.

"I'm such a fool to think that something like this wouldn't happen," Zelda said, wiping her eyes once more, "Who would have thought—"

"Hey," Link said, a bit more forcefully than he meant to. His instincts for dealing with sad girls, particularly Kara, had kicked in. All fear forgotten, he reached out with a hand and wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Let's not have any more of those," he said, "Nobody could have known that the Tower would have broken like that. It's not your fault. If anything, I wish we had spotted Cole sooner…though I bet that Cole pulled the wool over everybody's eyes far to well to see that."

Zelda took Link's hand and giggled. Even though she was cold to the touch, Link felt himself blush anyway. The princess was a good person at heart, and he could tell that she could have been a great ruler of her people…had fate and misfortune not have gotten in the way.

Grasping Zelda's hand, Link felt firm, moral resolve take over. His blushing stopped, and all of a sudden he appeared almost like a truly experienced warrior; a boy who was no longer just a boy, but someone who wanted to do more than just sit there.

"I'll tell you something, though," Link said, "I'm not going to just stand by while Cole's out there somewhere. We've got to stop him!"

Zelda nodded; her smile widening as she gazed at Link's face. "You know, you sound cute when you've got your mind made up," she said.

Link's resolve quickly changed to a cross between embarrassment, satisfaction, and a very crazy confusion. He was about to stutter and go into a flabberjastic fit when Zelda's smile disappeared.

"I absolutely agree," she said, "We need to figure out what he's doing. We know one thing's for sure; he's behind the Spirit Tracks disappearing. What I personally can't figure out is why…why would he do something like this?"

She slipped off of the bed and began to pace back and forth. Link hopped off as well, though he just stood there and watched her as she paced.

"Maybe we should just think about this for a little bit and then sort out what we know," Link said.

"That's a good idea," Zelda said with a smile, "Why didn't I think of it? Link, you are quite a bright young man! I'd have promoted you if you were a palace guard…"

"Uh…thanks…I think," he said.

* * *

Zelda had been pacing for over an hour. Nobody had come inside of the room to clean or anything, seeing as everyone thought that the princess was nowhere to be found, especially not inside their own castle. Link had been sitting on one of the armchairs, lost in thought in an attempt to figure out what in the world was going on, how he and Zelda were involved, and what they could eventually do to stop it.

"Let's go over the facts," Zelda said as she continued her pacing, "We know that Cole's the one responsible for this mess, right?"

Link nodded.

"And we both know that he wanted to kill me, and that he and his crony, for some reason, took my body and left you, Alfonzo, and Riko to die, right?"

Link nodded again.

"We also know that he has powerful magic, and that he had somehow conjured up a monstrous train to come out of the sky, cause the Spirit Tracks to disappear, and almost completely shatter the Spirit Tower. Right?"

Link nodded once more.

Zelda continued pacing, and then groaned in frustration. "I just don't get his motives!" she said, "At first, I thought he was after my throne. However, he said that he didn't want it; and since he's running around somewhere in Hyrule with my body…ugh. I don't even want to think about what they could do to me. I mean, he's a demon after all. He'll probably try something nasty, like violating me or something…I don't know. Anyway, I'm at a loss. I have no idea how we are going to solve this, and I also know that pacing around like this isn't going to…why are you looking at me like that?"

Zelda had been pacing so much that she didn't notice that she was steadily pacing upwards. Link had an awkward expression on his face as he saw Zelda's head go through the ceiling at least ten feet above where he was sitting. Zelda glanced around and suddenly noticed where she was.

"Oops!" she said, "Sorry…I guess I haven't gotten used to being a ghost yet."

She gently lowered herself down to the ground, catching her balance as she landed on her two feet. Link couldn't help but notice how graceful she was, even in death. Of course, now wasn't the time to think such thoughts. The two of them needed to solve this.

"You know," Link said, "we could always try finishing what we started."

Zelda cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Link leaned forward on his seat and placed his elbows on his knees. "Why don't we try going over to the Spirit Tower?" he asked, "You said earlier that there is a sage that lives there. Maybe that sage can help. I mean, I don't know how I can see you, but I'm sure that anybody with a trained eye can. Even the guards managed to glimpse you floating by while you were outside. Maybe this sage can see you like I can."

Zelda beamed as she listened to Link's words. "Link, you are a genius!" she said happily, rushing over to Link and giving him a ghostly hug, "Why didn't I think of that before? We should leave right away. You can use your train to get us there and…"

Reality came crashing down like a theater curtain. The Spirit Tracks were gone, and even if they weren't, Link's train was damaged beyond repair. There was no way they were going anywhere out of the castle…at least, unless they went on foot.

"It'll be a long walk," Link said, "At least, for me anyway. I don't know if ghosts can get tired."

"I never thought of that," Zelda said, "I'd go by myself…if…"

"If what?" Link asked.

Zelda bit her lip. "I'm scared, okay?" she said quietly, "I'm not exactly the bravest of princesses. I'd…I'd appreciate it if you came along. I don't think I can handle this myself. Can you come with me?"

"Whoever said I wasn't?" Link asked, "The Spirit Tracks are gone, which means I'm out of the job barely a week after I graduated. Even if I had nothing to do with this, I'd still go with you. You're…well…my princess. And my friend."

Zelda smiled. "Thanks, Link," she said, "I'm glad to have someone as loyal as you around. Now…we need a plan. Since the Spirit Tracks are gone, I'll bet that Cole must have set something up to make sure that nobody leaves Hyrule Castle in case if he needs them later. I know Cole enough to understand that he doesn't like leaving things dwindling. He'll box us in until he has desperate need."

"We don't really have much of a choice," Link said, "We have to figure out how to leave. Isn't there a secret passage out? All castles are supposed to have one, aren't they?"

Zelda put her hand up to her chin in thought, and then suddenly slapped her forehead and groaned. Link cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"What? What is it?"

"I can't believe I haven't thought of this before," she said, "There is a secret passage…but it's supposed to be heavily guarded. There's also monsters everywhere…I don't think that the guards will allow anyone in, much less a teenage engineer."

Link was about to give in to the hopelessness of the situation, but something suddenly dawned on him.

"Maybe not," he said, "But they might let in a recruit from the royal guard."

"Yeah, but where are we going to find—"

Link stood up and let his arms open up, revealing the green uniform that he was wearing; the uniform of a recruit.

Zelda felt her arms go slack, and her jaw dropped. "Oh."

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: *insert sighing smiley here* Phew!! I bet I surprised you all by updating this, aren't you? Thought that I was going to leave behind a broken fanfic, did you? Well, Spirit Tracks has been updated, so I hope you enjoyed it!

Ceila: I know I have. Thanks for adding me in as a cameo!

**Kerian**: You do realize that the Ceila I added was the original, right?

Ceila: Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

**Kerian**: *rolls eyes* Things have been real busy on my end of the Halcyon bandwagon. I've just completed a 6 chapter (4 chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue) prologue fanfic to my every-LoZ-game-in-existence prequel, The Clan Wars. If anybody wants to read it, just look up "The Legend of Zelda: The Clan Wars, Rise of Dethl," and be amazed! It's my official first-time success yet (as in, a fanfic that's complete, has reviews, and people enjoy it), and I'm proud of it. I've also been busy updating more on my other stuff, such as a little bit of Legacy of the Sages, a tiny bit of Secrets of the Lost Woods, a bit of The Fallen Star: A Tale of Redwall, a lot of The Seige of Uldaman, and I've begun writing on a Treasure Island fanfic. All in all, I'm pooped.

Ceila: Geeze louise, got enough fanfics there, Kerian?

**Kerian**: Meh...I probably should never have posted some of them until they were officially ready or until I was ready to take a break on one, like Legacy of the Sages. Oh well. It's too late now. Anyway, I'm going to continue working on fanfics as best as I can. After I go through a single chapter sweep on everybody (this one included), I'm going to embargo all of my fanfics except for the three shortest ones that I can do (Seige of Uldaman, The Fallen Star, and the upcoming LoZ: Treasure Island). If I work on shorter ones, there's a guaranteed chance of me actually finishing them, and since my brain is so hyperfocused on Warcraft once again I'm going to take full advantage of it and keep going on my one and only Warcraft fanfic. It's kind of logical that I should finish it, seeing as people have all claimed that it's the best Warcraft fic they've read when they look it over (at least, I think they did. I'll have to go back into the reviews and check...).

Now that I've updated this, I hope you guys are satisfied...somewhat. The next chapter will focus on Link and Zelda heading to the Spirit Tower, and their meeting with the Sage...until then, me out!

Ceila: You mean "we, out," right?

**Kerian**: Alright, I guess you've earned _that_ much. We, out!

Ceila: Cue the signature

...

**Kerian**: ...Well?

Ceila: Hey, why isn't the signature up yet?

**Kerian**: I don't know...maybe there's another bug or something.

Ceila: HEY! I resent that!

**Kerian**: I meant software! Darn it...stupid fairies.

-Kerian and Ceila


	8. Chapter 7: The Journey, Part 1

**The Legend of Zelda**

_Spirit Tracks_

A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon

Chapter 7: Journey to the Tower, Part 1

* * *

Link's back felt like it was about to break. He had cuts, bruises, and welts all over the place. He felt as if he had just been in a battle of international proportions, and that he was lucky to be alive. All he got out of it as a reward was a sword, shield, and a recruit's badge.

Kind of hard to believe that was basic training.

It turned out that you had to be more than a recruit to get access to certain areas of the castle, most notably the secret passages. You had to go through basic training, learn your swordsmanship, get wacked by a bunch of soldiers who looked unfit for battles but longed to be in it to the point that they'd love to take out their frustrations upon a person half their size…and that was just the preliminary exams!

Link could not believe it had only been four hours since he and Zelda agreed to a plan of action. At first, they wanted to get started right away, but since the soldiers wouldn't allow Link inside of the tunnels without proper clearance, and since Zelda was a bit stuck when it came to instructing her guards, he had no choice but to go and deal with basic training for the royal guards. Now, after a grueling match between three guards armed with spears and a drill instructor that looked like he would use his head for a hood ornament, Link finally managed to get his weapon, and his badge. He now, officially, had two different professions.

_I hope I never have to use a sword again_, Link said darkly to himself as he glanced at the blade. Although the sword felt okay in his hand, the responsibilities that it carried with it seemed to weigh the thing down like a lead brick had been tied to one end. Sheathing the thing, Link made his way down the hall, hoping that the badge he had on his person would allow him to enter the restricted end of the castle.

"So, how'd it go?"

Link glanced up rather irritatedly at Zelda's ghostly apparition. She had chosen to stay outside during the match. Since the door was open, Link knew very well that his voice carried out throughout the castle. The fact that Zelda had to ask the question was quite infuriating to someone who didn't like hearing the obvious.

"It went…fine," Link muttered.

Zelda took the hint, and didn't push the subject. The two of them made their way through the castle, passing the elegant windows made of crystal glass, the beautiful tapestries, and the fine paintings; all of which having lost their beautiful hue due to the strange tragedy befalling upon the castle. Link trudged along drearily while Zelda floated by his side, both uncomfortable about the situation and afraid of what was to come in the future.

Link felt slightly annoyed. It was rather unfair that he had to do all the work in order to get to where they needed to be. He never felt so sore since the time he accidentally mixed up the train polisher with pink paint and was ordered by Alfonzo to scrub all the paint off right after he did at least 200 push-ups. All for just one measly sword and a badge indicating he was an official trainee.

Link looked up at Zelda, who was staring adamantly in the direction they were going as they made their way through the many hallways and passages in the castle. _Then again, things could be a lot worse. Zelda is the real victim here_, he mused. _I would hate the idea of being dead and having to wander the earth for all eternity. Is that how you naturally end up when you are dead?_

Zelda glanced down at the boy. Link quickly turned his gaze back to the latest hallway they were descending and mentally cursed himself. The fact that he kept staring at the princess was suspicious enough, even if she was a ghost. Why did he find himself looking at her like this all of the time? It's not like he—

"Link, pay attention!"

Link broke his daze to find that he had stopped. He was standing in front of the entrance to the dungeons, which was the way to get to the secret pass to the tower that Zelda spoke of. The guards were looking at him like he was from outer space, so Link guessed that the only reason why was because he had been standing there for a little while.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said to the two soldiers in green uniforms, "I must have blanked out for a second there. Um…permission to enter?"

"Do you have your pass this time, kid?" one of the guards asked.

Link gulped. He remembered the hassle that occurred when he last tried to get in. The guards immediately accused him of being an imposter the moment he said that he didn't have a trainee's pass. If it weren't for Zelda's quick thinking and Link's passion for survival, he was sure he would have gotten into the dungeons anyway…as a prisoner.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Link said nervously. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out the simple card made out of wood and fabric weave and handed it to the guard. The guard took it out of his hand, inspected it, and smiled.

"Good to have you aboard, recruit," the man said, "Most trainees that get sent down here are supposed to be really good. I guess you must have really, 'impressed,' the sergeant to get send down there. See Maximillian when you get down there. He'll give you your assignment."

"Thanks," Link said as he took the card back. The other guard eyed him as he placed the card back in his pouch. Link gave both guards a quick nervous glance each before descending the stairs. He kept on looking back to see whether or not one of them would follow him or shout out that there was an intruder that was where he didn't belong, but no such sound came. He let out a quick sigh of relief.

"Halfway there now," Zelda whispered, "A little bit further, and we're out of here!"

"Yeah, and for all I know it'll be out of the cooking pot and into the fire," Link whispered back.

They were descending some stairs now. A spiral staircase went down a couple of flights before coming to a stop and leading to a long hallway that led behind the castle grounds. Link guessed that this must lead to the dungeons. Zelda began to guide him straight forward and warned him to avoid any guards along the way. If he looked even remotely suspicious, they were in trouble, and one of the empty cells could permanently be his.

"Geez, no pressure, huh?" Link muttered after Zelda finished explaining.

Zelda gave him a look of disproval before transforming into a little ball of glowing light. It was one of her more interesting powers. Link had found out the hard way that Zelda could be like this anytime. During his quick bathroom break while training, Zelda managed to sneak into his pouch so that they could talk…right when he was in one of the latrines. He had never felt so hot in the face in all of his life, and he could almost swear that Zelda had gone two shades darker in the cheeks. If it weren't for the seriousness of their situation, it would have almost been comical.

There was an office nearby. Link could hear the sound of men talking and laughing inside. Zelda quickly zoomed up towards the door that was ajar and had a look inside. After bobbing once to let him know he could move, Link walked slowly and silently around the corner until he was in the left side of the dungeon. Zelda had told him earlier that the majority of the inmates were kept on the right hand side of the castle, which meant more guards on that end. Although the way out was also on the right, Zelda had informed him that the whole dungeon was symmetrical minus the passage, and that there were other routes that led towards the secret route without having to go straight there.

Of course, Link had to be especially careful. The inmates on the left hand side were all supposed to be very harsh criminals; either that, or people in and out in a hurry. The few guards there were supposed to be the best, and there were no trainees or recruits allowed. Link had to be especially careful to avoid being seen by anybody.

Luckily for him, Zelda was always nearby to help. The princess was like one of those fairy guardians of old that were told of in fairy tales about Hyrule's ancient past. Whenever she saw trouble, she let Link know either verbally or by bobbing up and down rapidly as a tiny ball of light. Link paid close attention to every cue she made, thanking the Goddesses that he was the only one who could hear her or see her. It was truly a blessing to have her around.

They had gotten about halfway through when Link suddenly heard a recognizable voice. It was coming around the corner in a small room that sat between a group of cells. The door was ajar, and from what the two of them could hear the person inside sounded as if he was being tortured. It didn't take long for Link to figure out who it was…though the bird-like squawking helped out a bit.

"Riko!" he whispered.

"Riko? Where?" Zelda asked.

Link pointed to the room. More squawking could be heard, followed by mumbled, but rather angry, conversation. Link guessed that there could be only one purpose for the room in front of them; interrogation. Whatever was going on, Link betted that they were blaming the Rito on Zelda's disappearance.

Link and Zelda quickly turned a corner and got themselves just beyond seeing distance of the door. In their little hiding spot, they listened carefully to see whether or not any of the guards would leave. From what Link could hear, the guards probably wouldn't be heading out anytime soon, and judging by the sounds of Riko's voice, they weren't going to stop until he "squawks."

"I've got an idea," Zelda whispered in her ball form, "I'll be right back. Don't let them see you!"

Link began to protest, but Zelda was too quick for him. She quickly darted away and into the interrogation room as Riko's squawks suddenly became very infrequent and sickly. She had been gone for a long time, but Link knew he'd be helpless to go in and get her now. He doubted he could either way, for at that moment he could no longer hear the Rito's voice.

"Dammit, Jacque. I told you not to hit him too hard! Now we've got to wait 'till he clears."

Link's ears pricked up as he heard the guards talking rather loudly through the ajar door. He paid very close attention; this could be his opening.

"No problem. We just dunk water on him again and he'll come right to, remember?"

"We used the last of the water torturing the freak!! Now we've got to get some more. Dammit…the sergeant won't be too happy if we have to have the doctor come and see him again."

"Well, if he finally squawks we won't have to worry about it, will we? Come on…help me get the water. It takes two people to get the whole tub full."

"Wait…what about the bird? We can't just leave him unguarded!"

"Relax…he isn't going anywhere. Besides, all I have to do is lock the door. Hopefully he'll still be sleeping like a baby when we bring this back; otherwise, we'd have gone all this trouble for nothing!"

Link moved back behind the corner as he heard the two soldiers leaving the room. He heard them shut the big iron door, and a series of loud, metallic clangs and clicks meant that they had just locked it. Inwardly, he cursed. Now he would never get Riko out of there! He waited until their footsteps faded into the distance before poking his head out and approaching the door.

He looked through the iron bars. Riko was a mess. His feathers were ruffled and were stained red, likely from blood. He was soaking wet in some places, and from bare patches of skin Link could see big purple blotches from bruising.

"Damn," Link whispered.

"There isn't a call for bad language, you know!"

Link turned suddenly, but sighed in relief when he saw it was only Zelda. She had changed back into her Hylian form and had a nice, sly grin on her face. Her hands were behind her back, obviously holding something of importance. She floated off of the ground and moved about like a little girl who had done something naughty…or was about to.

"Guess what I have," she said with a smile.

Link smiled. "The key to this room?"

Zelda's smile turned into a look of surprise and disappointment. "How'd you figure that out?!"

"You're a ghost, remember?" Link giggled, "I can see right through you."

Zelda looked down. Sure enough, she could see the keys right through her stomach. She suddenly felt very vulnerable as she held out the metal objects to her friend.

"I hope my clothes aren't see-through too," she said.

"Actually, you just turned solid again," Link whispered, noting the lack of transparency now that Zelda was back on the ground, "I guess you can control whether you can become invisible or not."

Zelda looked back down. Sure enough, her clothes and stomach were back to their original, pale, otherworldly color. She sulked.

"Well, that's not fair," she said.

Link wanted to shush her, but he knew that nobody else could hear her, so he didn't worry about it. Taking what he hoped was the right key, he quickly slipped it inside and opened the door. Quietly as he could, he walked in and gently picked up the unconscious Riko, who was breathing heavily and looked as if he had seen better days. Both of his eyes were covered in big, black splotches, indicating that the guards must have punched them both while trying to torture him. Although Link felt anger towards the people that dared to hurt his friend, he focused his mind on getting Riko out of here without alerting the guards.

Carrying the Rito on his back, Link exited the room quickly. Zelda speedily locked the room back up and tossed the keys aside to make it seem as if the guard had dropped them when leaving. Link was surprised about how light Riko really was, though he guessed it was because the guy was part bird. Looking around to make sure they wouldn't be seen, Link and Zelda quickly tried to sneak around the room and back into the hallway, ensuring themselves that they wouldn't get caught by guards along the way.

At long last, Link and Zelda both reached the hallway that led to the secret passage. Zelda ensured him that it was safe to walk through, while Link turned around to make sure that none of the guards would come from behind. As they both quickly went through the hallway, Link almost let out a big sigh of relief. At long last, they were home free.

Or so he thought.

Neither of them had expected this, but as they turned the corner of the hallway, there was a guard standing in front of the big wooden door that led to the way out. Link froze as the guard looked right at him. The guard was rather confused at the boy's appearance, but his confusion soon turned into surprise as he saw the burden Link was carrying.

"You there," the man growled, "What are you doing with that…bird-man? Isn't he supposed to be interrogated?!"

"Uh…" Link muttered.

_Come on, Link, think!_ He said to himself. _Don't blow it all now!!!_

"I asked you a question, boy," the man growled. Link could see that he had his fingers on a whistle, likely meant for warning the others of a prison break. "Now, answer me!"

"Uh…the prisoner's no good anymore," Link said, "The...Commanding Officer, Maximillian, said that he wasn't worth asking questions. I was supposed to dump him out there or something."

The guard looked towards the big wooden door behind him. "That's kind of cruel for Max," he said, "but I suppose he probably deserves it. Nobody messes with our princess. Alright…go ahead."

Link smiled weakly. He was about to go forward when all of a sudden…

"PRISON BREAK!! PRISON BREAK!!"

A series of bells, gongs, and trumpets followed along with the screaming voice of the guards beyond the hall. The guard took a quick look at the door to see what was going on, but his mood quickly changed from surprise to anger as he looked back at Link. Link gave the guard a nervous smile as he tried to hold tight to the "escapee," on his shoulders.

_I'm dead_, Link thought.

"You're dead," the guard said as he raised a crossbow.

_My thoughts exactly._

It was at that moment that the guard suddenly recoiled hard, grasping his stomach and yelping in pain. He looked around to try and see the source of the disturbance, but was shocked to find that there was no one there. He was about to grab the crossbow he dropped on the floor when he suddenly felt a tremendous spike of pain in his face, his head launched off to the right as if someone had…kicked him.

Only Link could see who it was. Zelda, in her ghostly form, was quick to take advantage of her newfound powers. The guard had no idea what was coming to him.

Link did himself a favor and closed his eyes for most of it. He had never seen a girl fight before, and the way Zelda twisted her body caused her dress to go flying around her. Link didn't think that anybody could have used their legs to inflict so much pain. The fact that the man was wailing for most of it didn't help either.

When she finally was done, the guard fell on the floor, his nose bleeding and his body covered in bruises. Zelda tossed her head to one side and smiled at her handiwork for a moment or two before looking over at Link.

"Come on! We've got to get going!" she said hastily.

Link gulped. Hearing the guards starting to rush towards where the wailing came from, he quickly reached down and grabbed the keys from the guard's pocket. Rushing towards the door as fast as he could with a Rito on his back, he quickly turned the key and opened it. He plunged headfirst into the darkness inside, with the door swiftly closing behind him.

* * *

The guards were quick to enter the room. Upon seeing their bruised and bleeding comrade, they quickly fanned out and searched the room. It didn't take long for them to realize that the room was empty, and that there was only one other way out.

"Do you think they went…in there?" one guard asked.

"They can't have," another guard said, "The door is still locked, see?"

"Yeah, but the key's in the lock," the first guard said, "Jack always keeps the key in his pocket. It wouldn't be like him to do that."

"Then how in the hell did they manage to lock themselves in?!" a big burly soldier asked, "Did they just politely ask Jack to do it right after they beat him to a pulp? I don't think so!!"

"It could have been a psychic, or a magician."

The group turned to the man who had spoken up, who looked young and inexperienced. The young guard instantly blushed.

"Rookie," the bigger man said, "I don't know why we put up with you. Psychics and magicians without licenses are illegal, and most of them are maintained and monitored…and even those are a rare few! There can't have been a rogue magician about, and even if there was; why in hell would he need a stupid half-bird freak?!"

"Maybe…it has to do with the p-p-p-princess?" the rookie mumbled.

The bigger man threw up his hands. "Sure," he growled, "And I guess that the chancellor's working for him, eh? What's next?! A phantom ghost running about in the castle?!?"

The group of them suddenly stood rigid when they heard the keys drop, one by one, from the key ring. It would not have been too frightening if they were falling from a key ring attached to a person's waist belt; then that way the sergeant, who was the bigger man, would have been able to reprimand the person who did it. However, the key ring in question had originally been attached to the key locking the door…and it was floating!

The key ring floated for a few seconds more before it suddenly flew into the group. The guards jumped aside and allowed ample space for the chain to hit the ground. Turning, they gazed upon the silent, wooden door. All was still as fear rose and gripped the hearts of the men.

"Rookie," the sergeant said, "Get…get in there and open that door."

"No way I'm going there," the rookie said quite openly, "You do it."

"I ain't gonna do it! You do it!"

"Absolutely not."

"I'm not going in either," said the second guard.

"Me neither," said the first.

"Well, somebody's got to go in there, even if I have to pull rank to get you all to do it!"

"You'd only pull rank because you're too much of a pansy-ass to do it yourself!"

"I…I'm no pa—I'm not going in there! Get in there, you lilly-livered sissies!"

"Where'd you get that kind of talk from? Your mom?"

The guards continued arguing with each other in the room, and Zelda could hear it all in the hallway as she went down the stairs, laughing the whole entire time.

* * *

Link felt sharp pain grace the inside of his head as he awoke. His head throbbed madly, like he had managed to hit a gong and the sound waves decided to stick inside of his head instead of bounce off of walls like they should. In short, he hurt. A lot.

He guessed that it was the fact that there was no light, because his toe graced the bottom of a series of stairs. Riko was not far from where hey lay down, though it seemed as if the Rito had been cushioned from the fall by Link's shoulders. The boy got up and rubbed his back a bit, until he realized that it was pitch black where he sat.

"Hello?" Link mumbled. His voice echoed as if he was inside of a cathedral. It was unnerving. Link couldn't see, and the tunnel smelled very dank and musty. The only sound other than his steadily fading echo was the gasping breaths of the Rito in front of him, and even knowing that he wasn't alone was not comforting.

"Zelda?" Link said in a voice barely above a whisper.

No answer. The ghostly princess wasn't to be seen or heard. Link felt icy fear grip his insides as he frantically looked around in a panic.

"Zelda?"

Still no answer.

"Zelda!" Link's voice echoed rather loudly in the tunnel this time. Suddenly, there was a reply in the form of shallow, raspy breathing. Link's blood turned to ice as he heard the deep voice come closer and closer. A faint light began to shine from behind him, and as the back of Link's hairs stood on end, he slowly turned around. Cold sweat began to pour from his forehead as he cautiously began to face the—

"BOO!"

Link screamed. The scream echoed throughout the tunnel. On the other end, Link almost could swear that he heard a swarm of bats flying off from the sound. He didn't care. Right now, he was rather mad at a ghost that was laughing hilariously at the foot of the stairs.

Link glared at Zelda. "You know, I bet you wouldn't be laughing if you were the one down here in the dark," he said.

Zelda tried to cover up her mouth to hide her smile, but her sniggering just kept on prevailing. "Well," she chuckled, "I couldn't resist. I'm sorry." She openly laughed for a minute or two before finally calming down and saying, "You know, being a princess cooped up in a castle gets really boring at even the best of times. I'm almost glad that I'm a ghost. Now I get a chance to scare the heck out of everyone I see!"

"Like me?" Link asked, "What happened to the guards? I thought they'd be chasing us by now."

"No, I took care of them," Zelda explained, "They think this place is haunted. I gave them a real reason to stop having thoughts to the contrary!"

Link rolled his eyes. The princess was more immature than he was.

As Zelda's laughter died down, Link looked down the tunnel. His sharp eyes had adjusted enough to the dim light given off by Zelda's body that he could see a faint light at the end of the tunnel. It didn't look that far off; perhaps just a brisk walk could get them there within five minutes. However, it made him wonder whether or not there was really very much distance between the castle and the Tower of Spirits.

Thinking about the Tower of Spirits brought Link's mind about their current situation. He felt a pang of regret reach his heart. He realized that he could never go back to Castle Town now that he had helped with the escape of a prisoner. Though Riko was his friend, and Link was sure that the Rito would not hesitate to help him if he were in the same situation, Link knew that Castle Town was possibly the only prospective home that he could have while the Spirit Tracks are down. He wondered if he would ever get a chance to see Aboda Village again.

"Shouldn't we get going?" Zelda asked.

Link broke from his daze. "What?"

"I said, shouldn't we get going?" Zelda repeated.

"Oh…yeah, sure," Link looked up at the ghost, "Do you know how far it is?"

"Well, this tunnel just goes for a while beneath the castle," Zelda explained, "And then after we reach a field, the real tunnel to the Tower of Spirits begins. It's rumored that it was originally a cave complex that was here before the castle was built, so it provided an easy use means to get to the tower without problems. Of course…there are dangers."

Link shrugged. "Shouldn't be anything harder than what we're doing so far," he said.

Zelda looked at him with a worried glance. "Do you realize what you are getting yourself into?"

Link opened his arms, emphasizing the point he would be presenting. "Look at me, Zelda," he said, "I just went off and committed a crime. I rescued someone who was being blamed for your kidnapping. I'm at least a hundred miles from home, with no place to call residence to, and my mentor happens to be in a coma upstairs in the castle. I sincerely doubt that my life could get any more difficult than it is now, okay?"

Zelda kept her worried glance. It was obvious that she wasn't convinced. Link sighed and bent down to pick up Riko.

"Let's get going," he said, "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Zelda nodded in silent agreement.

* * *

Zelda didn't like this at all. Not one bit.

She silently followed Link down the tunnel. The boy was carrying Riko on his shoulders, occasionally shifting his gait so as to make sure that the Rito was not going to fall off. Zelda felt worried about him. She had noticed his change from a happy boy into someone who just wanted life to go by easily. It was something that she couldn't bear, because she knew she was responsible.

Ever since Link had found her, comforted her, assured her that everything was alright, his mood had changed. He was no longer acting like the boy that easily got embarrassed whenever he was around her. He was starting to become more serious; almost like an experienced warrior. He was becoming resentful, and less like a friend and more like someone who was being told to do something against his will.

Zelda didn't like that. She didn't want to force Link into doing something he didn't want to do. Although neither of them had much of a choice; Link being the only one who could see her; she still didn't really like the idea of forcing him to do something didn't sit well with her conscious.

_Gosh, listen to yourself Zelda_, she said to herself. _You're a princess. You shouldn't have to worry about this kind of stuff. It happens to everyone that you command. Why grow so self-conscious about it now?_

Her eyes glanced down at Link as he stumbled while carrying Riko on his back. She suddenly felt very guilty. Part of her wanted to come down and help him out, but she knew that it would be pointless. She was a ghost after all. The full extent that she knew she could even lift was a key ring.

She sighed. _I wonder what the consequences of this will be._

* * *

"HELP!!!"

The moment Link walked out of the tunnel, he heard the scream. Bright light shot down from above, causing him to cover his eyes. However, his ears worked just fine, and he could tell someone was in danger.

"Zelda, stay with Riko," Link said, quickly hiding the Rito behind a bush.

"Wait, where are you going?" Zelda asked as Link quickly ran off.

Link didn't bother answering. It was obvious, wasn't it? Someone was in trouble, and it was likely that he was the only one available to help.

_But who would be way out here?_ He asked himself. _It can't be one of the citizens; people are too scared of the disappearing tracks. It's probably going to be—_

"Hey, I need some backup over here!!"

_A guard._

To be continued…

* * *

**Kerian**: Hey everybody! You miss me? It's been a while since I updated anything, huh? I'm glad that I decided to update this early, otherwise I mighty go crazy! lol.

I'm not going to lie to you guys; this Spirit Tracks release is early. My heart wasn't into it for some odd and unknown reason, so I decided to cut the chapter short and turn it into two different parts. The next part will continue Link and Zelda's trip to the Tower of Spirits, including going into the tower itself. Hopefully I can still stick true to the overall style of the story, and I sure hope I haven't disappointed people yet. lol.

Ciela: You'd be far less disappointing if you kept to your schoolwork instead of goofing off and watching anime!

**Kerian**: Okay, very funny Ciela. Besides, the anime I was watching was rather inspirational.

Ciela: *gasps!*

**Kerian**: And no, it wasn't anything unacceptable. I'm not that kind of guy. Actually, I've been watching the full out, blood n' gore, absolutely beautiful Claymore series, in its original Japanese (well, it has subtitles of course. There's no way I'd be able to identify all of those words at once. lol. Anyway, Claymore's been inspiring me in the circles of writing, and I'm thinking of setting up actual outlines of some of my own original stories. Although many of you will never be able to see these at all in your lifetime, there is a chance that you could see them as novels sometime in the next decade. I can't guarantee anything, but I've got my fingers crossed and I'm hoping for the best. lol.

In other news, on DeviantART I've released a series of artwork involving adaptations of Zelda art. I've released only six so far, and all of them are categorized as creatures/races from the Kokiri Forest. These artworks include the Deku Baba, Skulltula, Deku Scrub, Gohma Larva, Kokiri, and, my personal favorite, my adaptation of the Queen Gohma. I'm planning on releasing more artwork in the future, but it all depends on whether or not I can find a gap in my schooling. For those of you who want to have a look at the stuff or are willing for the wait for future submissions, here's a link to the gallery: .com/gallery/#Zelda-Art

Ciela: Well, that's all the time we've got for today, right Kerian?

**Kerian**: Yup. I've still got a lot to do before summer. I've got art to finish, writing to work on (Legacy of the Sages' has an ultimate chapter I've got to work on. Maybe watching Claymore will help me get ideas for the style that I want the chapter to undergo), some outlining to plan, and of course schoolwork to finish. In a month my Senior year comes to an abrupt close, so I've got to get my butt working ahead on subjects if I want to be able to...you know what, nevermind. I'll reveal it to you guys in about a month. Until then...

Both: We, out!

-Kerian and Ciela

P.S. I'm hoping on getting Xbox Live for the Halo Reach Beta tonight. When I do, I'll let you guys know my gamertag on my profile. See you on the Xbox soon!


End file.
